G.A.Henty 


- 


REDSKIN   AND   COW-BOY 


THE  SCRIBNER  SERIES 
FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

EACH   WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS   IN   COLOR 
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CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


The  cow-boys  charged  down  upon  the  Indians. 


REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  TALE  OF 

* 

THE    WESTERN    PLAINS 


BY 


G.  A.    HENTY 

Author  of  "  Held  Fast  for  England;  "  "  The  Dash  for  Khartoum;  "  "  By  Right  of 
Conquest;  "  "  True  to  the  Old  Flag;  "  "  In  Freedom's  Cause; "  &c. 


WITH  TWELVE  PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
ALFRED  PEARSE 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 


COPYRIGHT,  1891,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


COPYRIGHT,  1919,  BY 
CHARLES  GERALD  HENTY 

AND 

GEORGE  SHEARMAN 
Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


H-ss 
-RH3 

PREFACE. 

M  A//O 


MY  DEAR  LADS, 

There  are  but  few  words  of  preface  needed  to  a  story 
that  is  not  historical.  The  principal  part  of  the  tale  is  laid 
among  the  cow-boys  of  the  Western  States  of  America,  a  body 
of  men  unrivalled  in  point  of  hardihood  and  devotion  to  work, 
as  well  as  in  reckless  courage  and  wild  daring.  Texas,  which 
twenty-five  years  ago  was  the  great  ranching  state,  is  no  longer 
the  home  of  the  typical  cow-boy,  but  he  still  exists  and  flour- 
ishes in  New  Mexico  and  the  northern  States  and  Territories. 
The  picture  I  have  given  of  their  life  can  be  relied  upon,  and 
its  adventures  and  dangers  are  in  no  degree  coloured,  as  I  have 
taken  them  from  the  lips  of  a  near  relative  of  my  own  who 
was  for  some  years  working  as  a  cow-boy  in  New  Mexico.  He 
was  an  actor  in  many  of  the  scenes  described,  and  so  far  from 
my  having  heightened  or  embellished  them,  I  may  say  that  I 
have  given  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  perilous  adventures 
through  which  he  went,  for  had  I  given  them  in  full  it  would,  I 
am  sure,  have  seemed  to  you  that  the  story  was  too  improbable 
to  be  true.  In  treating  of  cow-boy  life,  indeed,  it  may  well  be 
said  that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction. 

Yours  sincerely, 

G.  A.   HENTY. 


R20041 


CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  Page 

I.  AN  ADVERTISEMENT, n 

II.  TERRIBLE  NEWS, 29 

III.  THE  WANDERER'S  RETURN, 50 

IV.  AN  EXPLOSION, 67 

V.  ACROSS  THE  SEA, 83 

VI.  A  HORSE  DEAL 100 

VII.  AMONG  THE  COW-BOYS, 119 

VIII.  A  RATTLESNAKE  DIET, »    •>    .    .  136 

IX.  A  ROUND-UP, 156 

X.  A  RACE, 172 

XI.  A  FIRE  ON  THE  PLAINS, 189 

XII.  AN  INDIAN  RAID, 206 

XIII.  RESCUED 224 

XIV.  SURROUNDED  BY  REDSKINS, 242 

XV.  WITH  THE  WAGGON  TEAMS, 260 

XVI.  A  MINING  EXPEDITION, 284 

XVII.  CARRIED  OFF, 3°3 

XVIII.  THE  BRIGANDS'  HAUNT, 321 

XIX.  A  FIGHT  AND  A  RESCUE, 339 

XX.  THE  AVENGER, 359 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  COW-BOYS  CHARGED  DOWN  UPON  THE  INDIANS     .    .   Frontispiece 

Page 

WHEN  THE  COW-BOY  FIRED,  HUGH  DROPPED  ON  ONE  KNEE      .    .    98 


"A   COUPLE   OF  KICKS  SENT  OUT  THE  PLANKS,   AND  THEN  WE 
BOLTED" 195 

BESIEGED  BY  BRIGANDS 346 


REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

AN  ADVERTISEMENT. 

EDAR  GULCH  was,  in  1851,  a  flourishing  camp. 
There  had  been  some  good  finds  by  the  first  pro- 
spectors, and  a  rush  had  of  course  followed.  In 
many  cases  first  discoveries  proved  illusive,  but  it 
was  not  so  at  Cedar  Gulch.  The  ground  turned  out  well,  and 
although  no  extraordinary  finds  were  made,  the  average  was 
good  all  over  the  bottom,  and  there  were  few  who  were  not 
doing  fairly  well. 

The  scene  was  a  busy  one.  Several  hundreds  of  men  were 
hard  at  work  on  the  flat,  which  in  winter  was  the  bed  of  a 
wide  stream,  but  which  in  summer  was  a  mere  thread  of  water 
among  the  rocks,  scarce  enough  for  washing  purposes. 

Everywhere  were  piles  of  stones  and  rubbish  that  had  been 
brought  up  from  the  shafts ;  men  toiled  at  windlasses ;  others 
emptied  the  buckets  as  they  came  up  into  swinging  troughs  or 
cradles ;  others  again  kept  these  supplied  with  water,  and  swung 
or  rocked  them,  taking  off  the  large  stones  that  the  motion 
brought  to  the  surface,  while  the  slush  and  mud  ran  out  at  the 
lower  end.  New-comers  moved  about  watching  the  work  with 
eager  eyes,  wishing  that  they  had  had  the  luck  to  get  there 
among  the  early  arrivals,  and  to  take  up  a  claim,  for  every  foot 
of  ground  far  down  the  valley  had  already  been  occupied,  and 


12  THE   PARTNERS. 

there  was  now  no  getting  into  a  claim  except  by  purchasing  a 
share  or  altogether  buying  out  the  present  holders. 

One  of  the  claims  that  was  doing  best  was  held  by  three 
men  who  had  worked  in  partnership  for  the  last  two  years, 
and  who  had  been  among  the  first  to  arrive  at  Cedar  Gulch. 
They  were  known  among  the  others  as  English  Bill,  Sim 
Hewlett,  and  Limping  Frank.  Sim  Hewlett  was  perhaps  the 
leader  of  the  party.  He  had  been  one  of  the  earliest  gold- 
digger^*,  ;  and  ;w£s  a  square,  powerfully  built  man.  He  was  a 
man '-of 'few  words,  but  the  words  when  spoken  were  forcible. 
Orle-.was  by  no  means  quarrelsome,  but  was  one  whom  few 
'eateci *  to  .q&a'rrel  -with,  even  in  a  place  where  serious  quarrels 
were  of  constant  occurrence,  and  where  revolvers  cracked  so 
often  that  the  sound  of  a  fray  excited  but  little  attention. 

English  Bill  was  a  tall  wiry  man,  hot  of  temper,  but  a  general 
favourite.  Generous  with  his  money,  always  ready  to  lend  a 
helping  hand  to  anyone  who  was  down  on  his  luck,  he  also  was 
a  capital  worker,  and  had,  in  spite  of  his  rough  clothes  and  the 
use  of  language  as  rough  as  that  of  his  companions,  a  certain  air 
which  told  that,  like  many  others  in  the  diggings,  he  was  a 
gentleman  by  birth.  Why  these  two  men  should  have  taken 
up  with  Limping  Frank  as  a  comrade  was  a  matter  of  surprise 
to  those  who  knew  them.  They  were  both  men  in  the  prime 
of  life,  while  he  was  at  least  ten  years  their  senior.  His 
hair  was  already  white ;  his  face  was  that  of  a  student  rather 
than  a  miner,  with  a  gentle  and  almost  womanly  expression. 
His  frame  was  slight,  and  looked  altogether  incapable  of  hard 
work,  and  he  walked  with  a  distinct  limp,  the  result  of  a  bullet 
wound  in  the  hip.  And  yet  there  were  men  in  the  gulch  who, 
having  known  the  trio  at  other  diggings,  declared  that  they 
would  rather  quarrel  either  with  English  Bill  or  Sim  Howlett 
than  with  Limping  Frank,  and  as  some  of  them  were  desperate 
fellows,  and  noted  pistol  shots,  their  report  was  quite  sufficient 
to  secure  respect  for  a  man  who  otherwise  would  have  been 
regarded  with  pity  or  contempt. 

Very  little  of  the  hard  work  of  the  partnership  fell  upon 


"A    SORT   OF   JUDGE   LYNCH."  13 

Frank.  He  cooked,  looked  after  the  shanty,  did  what 
washing  and  mending  to  the  clothes  was  necessary,  and  occa- 
sionally came  down  and  assisted  to  work  the  cradle  and  sort 
the  stuff.  They  generally  addressed  him  as  doctor.  Not  that 
he  made  any  profession  of  medical  knowledge ;  but  he  was 
always  ready  to  give  his  services  in  case  of  sickness,  and  many 
a  miner  had  he  pulled  through  fevers  which,  had  it  not  been  for 
his  nursing  and  care,  would  have  proved  fatal. 

"I  can't  make  out  what  yer  mean  by  saying  I  had  best 
not  quarrel  with  that  little  old  atomy  you  call  Limping 
Frank,"  a  big,  powerful  fellow  who  had  recently  arrived  at  the 
camp  said  to  one  who  had  been  talking  over  with  him  the 
characteristics  of  several  of  the  miners.  "I  ain't  very  per- 
tiklar  who  I  quarrels  with ;  but  what  on  arth  there  can  be  in 
that  little  chap  to  make  one  keep  clear  of  him  beats  me.  Can 
he  shoot?" 

"  You  bet,"  the  other  replied.  "  He  could  put  a  bullet  plumb 
between  your  eyes  ten  times  following,  the  length  of  the  long 
saloon  up  there.  There  ain't  no  better  shot  nor  quicker  any- 
where on  the  slopes." 

"  But  he  don't  look  as  if  he  could  speak  up  for  himself,"  the 
other  said. 

"  No ;  and  he  doesn't  speak  up  for  himself,  though  his  mate* 
would  be  ready  enough  to  speak  up  for  him  if  anyone  said  any- 
thing to  him.  There  is  nothing  quarrelsome  about  him.  He 
is  always  for  peace  and  order.  He  is  a  sort  of  Judge  Lynch 
all  to  himself.  He  has  cleared  out  one  or  two  camps  I  have 
been  at.  When  a  chap  gets  too  bad  for  anything,  and  takes  to 
shooting  over  and  above  what  is  usual  and  right,  'specially  if 
he  draws  on  quiet  sort  of  chaps  and  becomes  a  terror,  then 
Limping  Frank  comes  out.  I  was  down  at  Dead  Man's  Gulch 
when  there  was  a  gang  of  three  or  four  men  who  were  a  terror 
to  the  place.  They  had  stretched  out  seven  or  eight  between 
them,  and  Texan  Jack,  as  the  worst  of  them  was  called,  one 
day  shot  down  a  young  fellow  who  had  just  come  into  camp, 
for  no  reason  at  all,  as  far  as  any  one  knew. 


14  "IF  YOU    ARE   A   MAN,    DRAW.'* 

"I  happened  to  be  in  the  saloon  five  minutes  afterwards, 
when  Limping  Frank  came  in.  Texan  Jack  was  standing 
drinking  there  with  two  of  his  mates,  laughing  and  jawing. 
You  would  scarcely  have  known  that  little  chap  if  you  had 
seen  him  then  !  He  had  been  nursing  a  mate  of  mine  only  the 
night  before,  and  as  I  had  been  sitting  near  him  I  thought  what 
a  gentle  sort  of  face  he  had — more  like  a  woman's  than  a  man's. 
But  now  his  eyes  were  wide  open  and  his  lips  closed,  and  there 
was  just  a  set  look  in  his  face  that  I  knew  meant  mischief — for 
I  had  seen  him  once  before  when  his  dander  was  up — and  I  put 
my  hand  into  my  back  pocket  for  my  pistol,  for  I  knew  there 
was  going  to  t>e  a  muss.  He  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  and  he  said  in  a  loud,  clear  voice  that  made  every  one 
look  sharp  round,  '  Texan  Jack,  murderer  and  villain,  we  have 
borne  with  you  too  long.  If  you  are  a  man,  draw.'  Texan 
Jack  stared  with  astonishment. 

" '  Are  you  mad,  you  little  fool  ? '  he  said. 

" '  Draw,  or  I  will  shoot  you  down  as  you  stand,'  Limping 
Frank  said,  and  the  Texan  saw  that  he  meant  mischief.  Frank 
had  no  weapon  in  his  hand,  for  he  was  not  one  to  take  an 
advantage.  The  Texan  carried  his  weapon  up  his  sleeve,  but 
quick  as  he  was  with  it,  Frank  was  as  quick,  and  the  two 
pistols  cracked  pretty  well  at  the  same  moment.  Frank  got  a 
ball  in  the  shoulder,  but  the  Texan  fell  dead  with  a  bullet  in 
the  centre  of  his  forehead.  His  two  mates  drew  in  a  moment, 
but  Frank's  revolver  cracked  twice  as  quick  as  you  could  count 
them,  and  there  were  just  three  bodies  lying  dead  in  a  heap. 
Then  he  put  up  his  pistol,  and  said  in  his  ordinary  quiet  voice, 
'  I  don't  like  these  things,  but  we  must  have  peace  and  order. 
Will  some  of  you  tell  the  others  that  they  had  better  git.' 
And  you  bet  they  did  git.  Limping  Frank  never  said  another 
word  about  it,  but  got  his  arm  in  a  sling,  and  half  an  hour 
afterwards  I  saw  him  quietly  cooking  his  mates'  dinner  while 
they  were  both  standing  by  blowing  him  up  for  starting  out 
without  them  to  back  him." 

"What  did  he  say?"  the  new-comer  asked. 


"A   PEACEMAKER."  15 

"  I  heard  him  say,  '  It  is  no  use  your  going  on  like  that, 
mates.  If  you  had  gone  down  he  would  have  got  his  friends, 
and  then  there  would  have  been  a  general  fight,  and  several 
would  have  got  hurt.  When  you  have  murderers  like  these  you 
don't  want  a  fight — you  want  an  execution ;  and  having  a  sort 
of  natural  knack  with  the  pistol,  I  took  it  upon  myself  to  be 
executioner.* 

"  There  was  another  case,  although  it  didn't  happen  at  the 
camp  I  was  at,  in  which  a  woman  was  murdered  by  a  half-breed 
Mexican.  I  did  not  hear  the  circumstances,  but  it  was  a 
shocking  bad  case.  She  left  a  child  behind  her,  and  her  hus- 
band, a  little  German,  went  clean  off  his  head. 

"  Next  morning  Limping  Frank  was  missing.  All  that  was 
known  was  that  he  had  bought  a  horse  of  a  man  who  had  come 
in  late  the  night  before,  and  was  gone.  His  two  mates  looked 
high  and  low  for  him,  but  said  at  last  they  guessed  he  would 
turn  up  again.  It  was  well-nigh  two  months  before  he  came 
back.  He  brought  back  with  him  a  watch  and  some  trinkets 
that  had  been  stolen  from  the  murdered  woman,  and  it  seems 
that  he  had  followed  the  fellow  right  down  into  New  Mexico, 
and  had  shot  him  there.  The  man  who  told  me  said  he  never 
made  any  talk  about  it,  but  was  at  work  as  usual  the  morning 
after  he  came  back.  I  tell  you  I  would  rather  quarrel  with 
Sim  Hewlett  and  English  Bill  together  than  I  would  get  that 
little  man's  dander  up.  He  is  a  peacemaker  too,  he  is,  and 
many  a  quarrel  he  has  smoothed  down.  At  one  camp  we  were 
in  we  made  him  a  sort  of  judge,  and  whenever  there  was  a 
dispute  about  claims,  or  tools,  or  anything  else,  we  went  to  him 
and  he  decided,  and  no  judge  could  have  gone  into  the  case 
fairer  or  given  a  better  judgment ;  and  though,  in  course,  those 
he  decided  against  were  not  pleased,  they  had  to  put  up 
with  it.  In  the  first  place,  the  camp  was  with  him ;  and  in 
the  second,  there  ain't  much  use  disputing  with  a  judge  who 
can  shoot  as  straight  as  he  can,  and  is  ready  to  do  it  if  neces- 
sary." 

The  three  partners  had  finished  their  day's  work,  and  sat 


16  HOW  THE   EARNINGS  WENT. 

down  to  a  meal  of  tea,  steak,  and  corn-cakes  that  Limping  Frank 
had  prepared  for  them. 

"  We  shall  have  to  be  moving  from  here  soon,"  the  Englishman 
said.  "  Another  week  and  our  claim  will  be  worked  out.  We 
have  not  done  badly,  on  the  whole.  The  question  is,  had  we 
better  buy  up  somebody  else's  claim  and  go  on  working  here, 
or  make  a  start  for  some  fresh  field?  " 

"  I  vote  for  a  move,"  Sim  Hewlett  said.  "  I  don't  say  the 
claim  hasn't  panned  out  well,  but  there  is  no  excitement  about 
it.  The  gold  lies  regular  right  through  the  gravel,  and  it  is 
almost  as  bad  as  working  for  wages.  You  can  always  tell 
within  an  ounce  or  so  what  there  will  be  when  you  come  to 
clean  up  the  cradle.  I  like  a  bit  of  excitement.  Nothing  one 
day  and  eight  or  ten  ounces  the  next." 

"  It  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  the  long  run,"  the  English- 
man said.  "  We  don't  get  very  much  forwarder.  Grub  costs 
a  lot  of  money,  and  then  what  there  is  over  and  above  slips 
through  our  ringers  somehow.  The  gambling-tables  take  a  large 
share  of  mine ;  and  your  weakness  for  champagne,  Sim,  when 
you  break  out  about  once  a  month,  makes  a  hole  in  yours ;  and 
as  to  Frank's,  he  spends  half  his  in  getting  meat  for  soups  and 
wines  and  medicines  for  his  patients." 

"What  is  one  to  do?"  Frank  said  apolegetically.  "One 
cannot  see  people  die  for  want  of  ordinary  necessaries.  Besides, 
Bill,  you  give  away  a  lot  too." 

"  Only  my  money  is  not  so  well  spent  as  yours,  doctor." 

"Well,  no,  I  don't  think  it  is." 

"  I  suppose  it  comes  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end.  I  don't 
want  to  lay  by  money.  What  should  I  do  with  it  if  I  had 
it?" 

"  You  don't  want  to  lay  by  money  because  you  are  strong, 
and  can  go  on  earning  it  for  years  yet ;  and  you  both  know 
very  well  that  if  you  had  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  you 
would  chuck  it  all  away  in  six  months." 

Sim  Howlett  laughed  aloud. 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  doctor,"  English  Bill  said.     "  But  if 


"A  TILE  JUST  A  LITTLE   LOOSE."  17 

your  argument  means  anything,  it  means  that  we  are  fools  fof 
working  as  hard  as  we  do." 

" Not  at  all,"  the  doctor  said  gently.  "You  don't  earn  more 
than  you  want,  as  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  you  lay  by  so  little, 
and  that  we  haven't  more  than  enough  dust  in  our  sack 
to  keep  us  for  a  month  or  two  if  we  don't  happen  to  strike 
it  in  the  next  claim  we  take  up.  No ;  I  think  we  earn  just 
enough.  If  you  earned  three  times  as  much  you  would  go 
three  times  as  often  to  that  cursed  gambling-table,  and  it 
would  be  bad  for  your  temper.  If  Sim  earned  three  times  as 
much  he  would  go  on  the  spree  three  times  as  often,  and  it 
would  be  bad  for  his  health.  If  I  were  to  earn  three  times  as 
much,  I  should  have  three  times  as  many  patients  to  attend 
to,  and  I  couldn't  stand  such  a  strain ;  so  you  see  we  are  just 
right  as  we  are,"  and  he  nodded  pleasantly  to  his  two  comrades. 

"  You  are  the  most  perplexing  beggar  I  ever  came  across, 
doctor,"  the  Englishman  said,  "and  I  have  seen  some  rum 
specimens  during  the  twenty  years  I  have  been  knocking  about 
in  the  States." 

The  little  man  nodded  as  if  it  had  been  a  compliment. 

"I  know,  Bill.  That  is  what  I  think  myself  sometimes; 
there  is  a  tile  just  a  little  loose  somewhere." 

"Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  Bill  said  hotly;  while  Sim  Hewlett 
growled  that  he  would  like  to  hear  any  one  else  say  so. 

"  Not  off,  you  know,"  Frank  said,  "  but  just  a  little  loose. 
I  know,  dear  boys.  You  see  my  machine  gets  muddled  up. 
It  may  work  right  enough  sometimes,  but  the  chances  are  that 
a  cog  has  got  bent,  or  that  there  is  a  little  twist  in  a  crank, 
and  the  thing  never  works  quite  even.  It  just  catches,  you 
know — rattles  now  and  then.  You  may  look  it  all  over  as 
much  as  you  like,  but  you  cannot  spot  where  it  is.  You  say  it 
wants  grease,  but  you  may  pour  bucketfuls  over  it  and  it  makes 
no  difference.  There" — and  he  broke  off — "they  are  at  it 
again  up  in  that  saloon." 

Two  or  three  pistol-shots  rang  out  in  the  evening  air. 

"Things  are  not  going  on  as  they  ought  to,"  he  went  on 


18 

quietly.     "That  is  another  machine  that  wants  regulating. 
There  are  more  bad  men  in  this  camp  than  there  ought  to  be." 

"  Don't  you  worry  yourself/'  Bill  said  hastily.  "  You  cannot 
expect  a  mining  camp  to  be  a  sort  of  paradise,  doctor,  and  all 
the  bad  men  kept  outside.  Things  have  been  going  on  pretty 
smooth  of  late.  It  has  been  quite  a  peaceful  camp." 

"  I  don't  like  the  ways  of  that  man  Symonds  the  gambler," 
the  doctor  said  meditatively,  with  his  head  a  little  on  one  side. 

"  He  is  a  bad  lot,"  Sim  Hewlett  agreed ;  "  but  he  is  going.  I 
heard  tell  yesterday  that  he  said  he  was  going  down  to  Frisco 
at  the  end  of  the  week ;  and  if  he  doesn't  go,  Bill  and  I  will 
get  a  dozen  other  fellows  to  go  with  us  and  tell  him  that  he 
had  better  git,  or  the  air  of  this  camp  is  likely  to  be  unhealthy 
for  him." 

"  Well,  if  that  is  so  we  need  not  think  any  more  about  it," 
the  doctor  said.  "  I  dreamt  last  night  I  saw  him  with  a  bullet 
mark  in  the  centre  of  his  forehead ;  but  perhaps  that  was  a 
mistake,  or  the  mark  will  not  come  at  present.  It  will  come 
sooner  or  later,"  he  added  musingly,  "  but  perhaps  not  for  a 
good  time  yet." 

"  Well,  well,"  Sim  Hewlett  broke  in,  "  we  are  wandering  about 
like  green  hands  lost  in  a  sage-bush.  We  started  by  talking 
about  whether,  when  we  have  worked  up  our  claim,  we  shall 
stop  here  or  foot  it." 

"  If  we  foot  it,  where  do  you  propose  to  go,  Sim  ?  " 

"  I  heard  this  morning  that  they  are  doing  well  in  that  new 

place  they  call  Gold  Run.     Then,  again,  you  know  we  have 

always  had  a  fancy  for  a  month's  prospecting  up  at  the  head 

of  the  Yuba.    The  gold  must  come  from  somewhere,  though 

-obody  has  ever  hit  the  spot  yet." 

"  I  am  ready  to  go  where  you  like,  Sim,"  the  doctor  said ; 
"  but  as  I  have  often  told  you  before,  you  miners  are  altogether 
wrong  in  your  notions,  as  any  one  can  see  with  half  an  eye  by 
the  fact,  that  whether  you  are  down  here  in  the  bottom  of  a 
gulch,  or  whether  you  are  up  on  those  flats,  2000  feet  above 
us,  you  always  find  gravel.  Now  those  flats  were  once  the 


WHERE   IT   CAME    FROM.  19 

bed  of  a  great  river,  that  was  when  the  mountains  round  were 
tens  of  thousands  of  feet  higher  than  they  are  now ;  they  must 
have  been  all  that  or  there  would  never  be  water  enough  for 
such  a  river  as  that  must  have  been.  That  river  must  have 
rolled  on  for  thousands  of  years,  for  the  gravel,  which  you  can 
see  in  some  places  is  500  feet  thick,  is  all  water- worn ;  whether 
it  is  big  boulders  or  little  stones,  it  has  all  been  rolled  about. 

"  Well,  in  time  these  mountains  were  all  worn  away.  There 
wasn't  water  then  for  the  big  river,  and  the  water  from  the 
hills,  as  you  see  them  now,  began  to  cut  fresh  channels,  and 
this  Yuba,  which  is  one  of  them,  lies  a  thousand  feet  below  the 
old  gravel  bed.  In  some  places  it  has  crossed  the  old  bed,  and 
the  gold  that  came  down  from  the  former  mountains  into  the 
gravel  has  been  washed  down  into  these  valleys.  You  will 
never  find,  as  you  all  dream  of  doing,  a  quartz  vein  stuck  full 
of  gold.  There  may  have  been  veins  like  that  in  the  old  moun- 
tains, but  the  quartz  veins  that  you  find  now,  and  lots  of  them 
have  been  assayed,  are  all  very  poor ;  they  have  got  gold  in 
them,  but  scarce  enough  to  pay  for  working  even  when  they 
get  the  best  machinery.  I  fancy  gold  goes  off  with  depth,  though 
why  it  should  I  cannot  say,  and  that  these  quartz  veins  which 
near  the  surface  had  big  nuggets,  and  were  choke-full  of  small 
stuff,  just  pettered  away  to  nothing  as  they  went  deeper.  That 
is  why  I  think,  Sim,  that  you  will  find  no  quartz  reefs  worth 
working  anywhere  now,  and  why  you  are  less  likely  to  find 
much  pay  dirt  in  the  upper  gorges,  because  the  water  there  has 
not  gone  through  the  old  gravel  fields  as  it  has  in  its  windings 
lower  down." 

"  But  according  to  that,  doctor,  we  should  find  it  richest  of 
all  if  we  were  to  sink  in  the  bed  of  the  river  down  by  the 
plains." 

"  Not  at  all,  not  at  all,  Bill.  From  the  point  where  the  Yuba's 
course  leaves  the  old  gravel  bed  of  the  big  river  and  makes  its 
own  way  through  hills  down  to  the  plains  it  has  picked  up  no 
more  gold.  As  you  know  the  big  nuggets  are  generally  found 
pretty  high  up,  as  was  natural  they  should  be,  for  as  soon  as 


20  THE   MAIL. 

the  new  river  washed  them  out  of  the  old  bed  they  would  sink 
down  in  some  convenient  hole ;  and  as  in  the  course  of  ages  the 
Yuba  cut  down  deeper  and  deeper,  they  would  go  down  too. 
Their  weight  would  prevent  their  rolling  far;  the  light  stuff 
would  wash  down,  moving  onwards  with  the  sands  and  gravel. 
And  so,  as  you  search  lower  down,  you  get  better  surface  wash- 
ings, but  find  less  coarse  gold." 

"  I  dare  say  you  are  right,  doctor,"  Sim  Hewlett  said  yawn- 
ing, "  so  we  won't  go  prospecting  up  in  the  hills,  though  some 
nice  little  finds  have  been  made  up  there  in  spite  of  what  you 
say.  I  vote  we  leave  it  open  until  we  have  cleared  up,  and 
then  look  round.  A  new  rush  may  be  started  before  a  week 
is  over,  and  if  we  are  ready  to  move  at  once  we  may  manage 
to  take  up  claims  in  the  thick  of  it ;  if  one  isn't  pretty  early 
at  a  new  place,  one  may  just  as  well  stay  away  altogether. 
There  is  the  horn.  The  mail  is  late  to-night.  I  will  go  out 
and  see  if  I  can  get  hold  of  a  Sacramento  paper — one  sees  all 
about  the  new  places  there.  Not  that  one  need  swallow  all 
they  say,  for  the  lies  about  what  is  being  got  are  tremendous. 
One  fellow  strikes  it  rich,  and  then  they  put  it  in  that  every 
fellow  in  the  camp  is  making  from  four  to  ten  ounces  a  day. 
I  believe  most  of  these  lies  come  from  the  store-keepers.  Of 
course,  it  is  to  their  interest  to  get  up  a  rush  to  places  where 
they  have  set  up  their  stores,  and  if  a  newspaper  man  comes 
along  they  lay  it  on  thick.  Well,  here  goes  ;"  and  throwing  on 
his  wide-awake,  Sim  Hewlett  sauntered  off. 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  returned  with  a  newspaper.  "  Here 
you  are,  Bill,  you  may  as  well  do  the  reading.  I  am  out  of 
practice,  and  the  doctor  is  not  to  be  depended  upon,  and  will 
miss  the  very  bits  we  want  to  know." 

Taking  the  paper  the  Englishman  read  the  columns  devoted 
to  reports  from  the  mining  camps.  A  stranger  would  have 
thought  from  the  perusal  that  every  miner  on  the  Pacific  slope 
must  have  been  making  a  fortune,  so  brilliant  were  the  accounts 
of  the  gold  that  was  being  obtained  in  every  mining  camp. 
"John  Wilkins  and  party  obtained  at  their  week's  clear-up  304 


"NOT  DOING   BADLY."  21 

ounces  of  gold,  including  many  fine  nuggets.  Many  others  have  met 
with  almost  equal  good  fortune;  the  sand  on  the  shoulder  is  panning 
eut very  rich" 

Such  was  a  sample  of  the  descriptions.  The  three  men  were 
unmoved  by  them.  They  knew  too  well  how  untrustworthy 
were  the  reports.  Many  were,  as  has  been  said,  the  work  of 
the  store-keepers  ;  others  were  the  invention  of  miners  desirous 
of  disposing  of  their  claims  to  new-comers,  and  shifting  to 
more  promising  regions.  Little  was  said  of  the  fabulous  prices 
of  provisions,  of  the  fever  that  decimated  some  of  the  camps, 
of  the  total  abandonment  of  others ;  and  yet  even  the  miners, 
although  knowing  by  frequent  experience  that  no  dependence 
could  be  placed  on  these  reports,  were  prone  to  cling  to  the  hope 
that  this  time  they  were  correct,  and  the  roads  were  thronged 
by  parties  who,  having  failed  at  one  camp,  were  making  their 
way  to  a  distant  location  of  which  they  had  heard  brilliant 
reports,  and  who  were  met,  perhaps,  on  their  way  by  parties 
coming  from  that  very  camp  to  the  one  they  had  just  quitted. 

"  It  sounds  well,"  the  doctor  said  with  a  quiet  smile  when 
the  reading  was  concluded. 

"  Sounds  be  blowed  !  "  Sim  growled.  "  They  are  thundering 
lies.  What  do  they  say  of  this  camp? — read  it  again,  Bill." 

"  It  is  difficult  to  get  at  the  exact  state  of  things  at  Cedar  Gulch. 
Men  who  are  doingwell  are  always  reticent  as  to  their  earnings;  but 
there  is  little  doubt  that  all  are  doing  welt,  and  that  while  those 
working  in  companies  are  obtaining  very  large  results,  the  average 
through  the  camp  is  not  less  than  from  two  to  three  ounces  a  day." 

"  The  camp  is  not  doing  badly,"  Sim  remarked.  "  There  are 
mighty  few  here  who  ain't  earning  their  grub.  I  don't  believe 
there  is  one  who  is  making  from  three  to  four  ounces  a  day, 
not  regular.  Of  course  if  he  comes  on  a  pocket,  or  strikes  the 
bed  rock,  he  may  earn  a  good  bit  over  that,  ten  times  as  much 
perhaps  in  a  day ;  but  take  it  all  round,  an  ounce,  or  at  most 
an  ounce  and  a  quarter,  would  be  the  outside." 

English  Bill  nodded.  "  I  should  say  an  ounce  at  the  outside. 
There  are  scores  who  ain't  earning  half  an  ounce  regular,  and 


22 

there  are  a  few  who  have  to  run  into  debt  for  their  grub.  Well, 
there  is  nothing  very  tempting  in  that  lot  of  notices.  We 
have  tried  a  good  many  of  them  in  the  last  two  years,  and  at 
any  rate  we  have  got  another  week  before  we  need  make  up 
our  minds.  I  expect  it  will  come  again,  Bill,  to  what  it  has 
come  to  half  a  dozen  times  before.  Write  all  the  names  on  a 
piece  of  paper,  put  them  into  a  bag,  let  the  doctor  draw  one, 
and  go  for  it.  It  is  as  good  a  plan  as  another,  and  the  doctor's 
luck  has  always  pulled  us  through." 

Sim  and  the  Englishman  stretched  themselves  upon  their 
blankets  and  lay  there  smoking,  while  Limping  Frank  squatted 
down  by  the  side  of  the  solitary  candle  and  began  to  look  at 
the  small  portion  of  the  paper  devoted  to  general  news.  This 
was  soon  finished,  and  then  he  ran  his  eye  over  the  advertise- 
ments. These  principally  related  to  articles  in  demand  by 
miners — patent  rockers  and  cradles,  picks  and  shovels,  revolvers 
and  bowie-knives,  iron  houses  for  stores,  tents,  clothing,  water- 
proof boots,  and  flannel  shirts.  Then  there  was  a  column  of 
town  lots  in  Sacramento,  notices  of  steamers  starting  for  San 
Francisco,  notices  of  stolen  horses,  offers  of  rewards  for  the 
capture  of  notorious  criminals,  and  advertisements  for  missing 
friends. 

"  Bill,"  he  said  presently. 

"  Hello  !  "  said  the  Englishman  with  a  start.  He  had  just 
laid  his  pipe  down  and  was  already  dozing. 

"Didn't  you  once  say  your  name  was  Tunstall? " 

"  Yes,  that's  it,  though  I  have  pretty  well  forgotten  it.  What 
is  it?" 

"  Well,  there  is  an  advertisement  here  that  may  relate  to  you." 

"  What  is  it,  say  ?  I  haven't  been  running  off  with  a  horse, 
or  shooting  a  sheriff,  so  I  don't  know  why  they  are  advertis- 
ing for  me." 

"Five  hundred  dollars  reward.  The  above  sum  will  be  paid 
by  James  Campbell,  attorney,  San  Francisco,  to  any  one  who  will 
give  him  information  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  William  Tunstall, 
who  was  last  heard  of  four  years  ago  in  California.  The  said 


"  SO  EDGAR  HAS  GONE,  POOR  LAD  !  "  2$ 

William  Tuns  fall  is  entitled  to  property  in  England  under  the  wi£ 
of  his  brother,  the  late  Edgar  TunstallofByrneside,  Cumberland" 

"That's  me,"  the  Englishman  said,  sitting  upright  and  star- 
ing at  the  doctor.  "  Well,  well,  so  Edgar  has  gone,  poor  lad  * 
Well,  I  am  sorry." 

Sim  Hewlett  had  also  roused  himself  at  the  news.  "  Well, 
Bill,  I  was  going  to  congratulate  you,"  he  said ;  "  but  that 
doesn't  seem  the  light  you  take  the  news  in." 

"  No,  I  am  not  thinking  of  money,"  the  other  said.  "  I  could 
have  had  that  long  ago  if  I  had  chosen  to  take  it.  I  was  think- 
ing of  my  brother.  It  is  twenty  years  since  I  saw  him,  and  I 
don't  suppose  I  should  have  ever  seen  him  again  any  way ;  but 
it  is  a  shock  to  know  that  he  has  gone.  It  never  was  his  fault, 
and  I  am  sorry  now  I  held  off  so.  I  never  thought  of  this.  It 
has  come  to  me  sometimes  that  when  I  got  old  and  past  work 
I  might  go  back  to  the  old  place  and  end  my  days  there ;  but 
I  never  thought  that  he  would  go  before  me.  I  am  sorry, 
mates,  more  sorry  than  I  can  say." 

"How  was  it,  Bill?"  the  doctor  asked.  "Don't  tell  us  if 
you  don't  like  ;  it  is  no  business  of  ours.  Here  in  the  diggings 
there  are  few  men  who  talk  of  old  times.  Their  eyes  are  all  on 
the  future,  and  what  they  will  do  with  their  wealth  when  they 
gain  it ;  but  no  one  asks  another  as  to  his  past  history.  The 
answer  might  sometimes  be  a  pistol-shot.  Here  we  three  have 
been  living  together  for  more  than  two  years  and  not  one  of 
us  has  wanted  to  know  what  the  others  were  before  we  met. 
It  is  quite  an  accident  that  I  know  your  name.  You  gave  it 
when  you  gave  evidence  as  to  the  murder  of  that  old  German 
that  we  hung  Red  Hugh  for.  It  struck  me  it  was  an  odd 
name  then,  but  I  never  thought  of  it  again  until  I  saw  it  in 
the  paper.  And  you  said  once — it  was  Christmas  Day,  I  re- 
member— you  said  there  was  a  home  for  you  in  England  if 
you  liked  to  go  to  it." 

"  I  will  tell  you  the  story,"  the  Englishman  said.  "  I  would 
have  told  it  to  you  long  ago,  only  there  was  nothing  in  it  to 
tell  you.  It  was  just  what  has  happened  ten  thousand  times, 


24  ENGLISH  BILL'S  STORY. 

and  will  happen  as  often  again.  My  father  was  one  of  the 
largest  land-owners  in  Cumberland.  I  was  his  eldest  son.  We 
never  got  on  well  together.  He  was  cold  and  haughty,  a  hard 
landlord,  and  a  despot  at  home.  We  should  have  quarrelled 
earlier  than  we  did ;  but  I  was  sent  to  Rugby,  and  often  did 
not  even  come  home  for  the  holidays,  for  I  had  a  good  many 
friends  in  those  days.  I  went  back  when  I  was  eighteen,  and 
was  to  have  gone  to  college  a  month  or  two  later.  I  made  a 
fool  of  myself,  as  boys  do,  and  fancied  I  was  in  love  with  one 
of  our  tenants'  daughters. 

*'  Some  meddling  busybody — I  always  thought  it  was  the  par- 
son's wife,  for  she  drove  along  one  evening  just  as  I  was  saying 
good-bye  to  the  girl  at  the  stile — told  my  father  about  it,  and 
there  was  a  frightful  row.  For  once  he  got  in  a  passion,  and 
I  lost  my  temper  too.  It  was  really  a  harmless  flirtation,  I 
think,  and  would  have  died  out  when  I  went  off  to  college. 
However,  when  my  father  swore  that  if  I  ever  spoke  to  her 
again  he  would  turn  me  out  of  the  house,  I  said  he  might  do 
as  he  liked,  and  that  I  would  marry  her  when  I  came  of  age. 
He  ordered  me  to  leave  the  house  and  never  see  his  face  again ; 
said  that  I  was  no  longer  his  son,  and  might  go  to  the  devil, 
or  words  to  that  effect.  So,  being  just  as  obstinate  in  my  way 
as  he  was  in  his,  I  went,  and  never  did  see  him  again.  Of 
course,  I  went  first  to  see  the  girl.  She  was  frightened  out  of 
her  life  when  she  heard  of  what  had  happened,  said  that  her 
father  would  be  turned  out  of  his  house,  and  all  sorts  of  things, 
and  at  any  rate  she  would  have  nothing  more  to  say  to  me. 

"  So  I  walked  to  Liverpool,  and  took  my  berth  in  the  first 
sailing  ship  to  the  States.  My  brother  Edgar,  who  was  two 
years  younger  than  I,  was  away  at  the  time.  We  had  always 
been  capital  friends.  Ten  years  later,  when  my  father  died, 
he  advertised  for  me,  and,  the  name  being  an  uncommon  one, 
someone  pointed  it  out  to  me,  and  I  answered.  He  wrote 
most  affectionately,  and  lamented  that  our  father  had  died 
without  forgiving  me,  and  had  not  only  cut  me  entirely  out  of 
his  will,  but  had,  knowing  his  affection  for  me,  inserted  a  clause 


"I  WILL  THINK   IT   OVER."  25 

that  should  he  endeavour  to  alter  the  purport  of  the  will,  or  to 
hand  over  by  deed  or  otherwise  any  part  or  share  of  the  estates 
to  me,  the  property  should  revert  at  once  to  a  distant  relative. 
Edgar  said,  however,  that  he  had  consulted  his  lawyers,  and 
they  were  of  opinion  that  this  clause  in  no  way  affected  his 
power  to  dispose  of  his  income  drawn  from  the  estate,  and 
that  he  proposed  to  share  this  equally  with  me. 

"  I  wrote  back  that  while  I  was  obliged  to  him  for  his  offer 
I  should  not  accept  it,  for,  as  the  property  was  not  entailed, 
our  father  had  a  perfect  right  to  leave  it  as  he  liked.  He  had 
left  it  to  him,  and  there  was  an  end  of  it  We  exchanged 
several  letters,  but  I  was  just  as  obstinate  as  my  father  had 
been.  I  was  too  busy  or  too  lazy  for  letter-writing.  Somehow 
no  one  writes  here,  and  then  one  is  constantly  on  the  move. 
Anyhow,  I  had  one  or  two  letters  from  him  which  I  never  an- 
swered. The  last  was  three  or  four  years  ago.  And  now  he  is 
dead,  and  I  suppose  has  left  me  some  of  the  property  I  would 
not  take  during  his  lifetime.  Of  course  I  was  a  fool,  and  an 
obstinate  fool,  all  along,  but  one  never  acknowledges  this  until 
it  is  too  late." 

The  others  made  no  remark  for  some  time. 

"  Well,  anyhow,  Bill,  you  ought  to  go  down  to  Frisco  and 
see  this  lawyer." 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  the  other  said  as,  after  relighting  his 
pipe,  he  lay  back  on  the  blankets  again ;  "  there  is  no  hurry  for 
a  day  or  two." 

No  further  mention  was  made  of  the  matter  until  the  claim 
was  cleared  up,  but  that  evening  Bill  returned  to  the  subject. 
"  I  have  thought  it  over,  and  I  suppose  I  had  better  go  down 
to  Frisco.  I  don't  think  I  shall  take  this  money.  I  should 
be  like  a  fish  out  of  water  in  England,  and  should  be  miser- 
able there.  If  I  take  anything  it  will  be  a  thousand  pounds 
or  so.  I  should  sink  that  in  buying  a  snug  little  place  on  the 
foothills,  and  I  should  put  somebody  on  to  work  it  and  plant 
it  up  with  fruit-trees  or  vines,  or  that  sort  of  thing,  and  then 
some  day  when  I  get  too  old  for  knocking  about  I  shall  settle 


26  LIMPING  FRANK'S  ADVICE. 

down  there ;  and  I  needn't  say  that  my  home  will  also  be 
yours,  mates.  I  sha'n't  be  much  more  than  a  week  away.  I 
shall  come  back  here,  and  if  you  hear  of  anything  before  I 
return  leave  a  line  with  the  store-keeper  telling  me  where  you 
are  off  to.  I  have  my  kit  packed,  and  if  I  start  in  half  an 
hour  I  shall  catch  the  night  coach  as  it  comes  along  past  the 
top  of  the  gulch." 

Sim  Hewlett  made  no  comment,  but  simply  observed,  "  I 
expect  you  will  find  us  here."  But  just  as  Bill  was  starting 
the  doctor  put  his  hand  on  his  arm  and  said,  "  Don't  do  any- 
thing hasty,  mate.  You  see  you  made  rather  a  mess  of  your 
life  by  putting  your  foot  down  before  when  it  seems  there 
was  no  occasion  for  it.  There  is  never  any  good  comes  of 
making  up  your  mind  in  a  hurry  when  there  is  no  need  for  it. 
When  you  see  a  man  slipping  his  hand  round  towards  his  back 
trouser-pocket,  I  allow  that  is  not  the  time  for  thinking.  You 
have  got  to  act,  and  to  act  mighty  sharp  too,  or  you  will  get 
a  bullet  in  you  before  you  have  drawn ;  but  in  a  thing  of  this 
sort  it  makes  no  difference  whether  you  decide  now  or  six 
months  hence.  You  need  only  write  and  say  that  you  are 
found,  and  ask  for  particulars  and  so  on,  and  when  you  have 
got  them  you  can  take  your  time  about  giving  an  answer. 
Many  men  before  now  have  refused  a  good  thing  and  been 
sorry  for  it  afterwards.  Your  brother,  according  to  your  own 
account,  has  acted  kindly  and  well  towards  you.  Why  should 
you  refuse  what  he  wished  you  to  have,  merely  because  you 
think  that  it  ought  to  have  come  to  you  in  the  first  place? 
That  is  all  I  have  to  say,  Bill ; "  and  he  walked  slowly  back  to 
the  tent,  while  Bill  started  at  a  steady  pace  up  the  long  steep 
hill  from  the  gulch  to  the  plateau  above,  along  which  ran  one 
of  the  principal  roads  from  Sacramento  through  the  mining 
district. 

"  We  shall  miss  him,  Sim,"  Limping  Frank  said  as  he  and 
his  mate  lighted  their  pipes  after  their  meal  that  evening.  "  It 
seems  kinder  lonely  without  him  after  sitting  down  regularly 
for  two  years  now." 


"WHAT  is  TO  HINDER  HIM?"  27 

" He  ain't  gone  yet,"  Sim  growled,  "and  I  don't  think  as  he 
is  going.  What  Bill  said  he  will  stick  to,  you  bet." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  he  means  what  he  says,  Sim.  Bill  has  gone  away 
from  here  with  the  fixed  idea  of  going  down  there,  writing  a 
letter  or  two,  coming  back  here,  waiting  for  his  money  to  come 
over,  investing  it  in  a  farm,  and  going  on  working  with  us  just 
as  before  ;  but,  bless  you,  it  is  one  thing  to  make  up  your  mind 
and  another  to  carry  it  out." 

"What  is  to  prevent  his  carrying  it  out,  doctor?" 

"  Lots  of  things,  Sim.  When  a  man  once  gets  mixed  up  in 
a  will,  or  in  any  kind  of  law  business,  he  ceases  to  be  a  free 
agent." 

"Ceases  to  be  what,  doctor?" 

"  Well,  he  ceases  to  be  his  own  master.  Bill  thinks  he  has 
only  got  to  go  into  a  lawyer's  office,  and  say, — '  Here  I  am,  I  am 
the  chap  mentioned  in  that  advertisement.  I  dare  say  my 
brother  has  left  me  a  good  lot,  but  I  don't  want  it.  Just  write 
and  tell  them  to  send  me  on  five  thousand  dollars,  that's  all  I 
want  out  of  it.  I  am  going  back  to  Sacramento  to-morrow. 
When  the  money  comes  pay  it  into  the  bank  there  for  me.' 
Then  he  thinks  that  he  will  have  a  day's  spree  at  Frisco,  and 
come  back  by  steamer  next  day." 

"  And  why  shouldn't  he  ?    What  is  to  hinder  him  ?" 

"  Well,  it  won't  be  like  that,  Sim,  at  all.  When  he  goes  in 
and  says  '  I  am  William  Tunstall,'  the  lawyer  will  say,  '  I  am 
heartily  glad  to  see  you,  sir.  Allow  me  to  congratulate  you ; ' 
and  he  will  shake  Bill  by  the  hand,  and  Bill  will  say  to  him- 
self, '  This  is  just  as  it  should  be.  Five  minutes  will  do  this 
job.  I  will  go  out  and  look  up  two  or  three  friends  who  are 
in  from  the  mines,  and  we  will  have  a  bottle  of  champagne 
a-piece  over  this  business.'  Just  as  he  has  thought  that  over 
the  lawyer  will  say  to  him,  '  Of  course  you  are  in  a  position  to 
prove  that  you  are  the  Mr.  Tunstall  advertised  for.'  Bill  will 
say,  '  Oh,  yes  !  here  are  my  brother's  letters.'  Then  the  lawyer 
will  smile  and  nod  and  say,  '  Most  satisfactory,'  and  then  he 
will  add,  '  Of  course,  you  are  in  a  position  to  prove  that  you 


ZO  HOW   IT   WILL  TURN   OUT. 

are  the  person  to  whom  these  letters  were  sent?  Of  course, 
I  don't  doubt  it  for  a  moment,  but  letters  do  get  lost,  you 
know,  and  fall  into  other  people's  hands.  In  a  matter  of  this 
kind  we  must  proceed  in  a  legal  and  business  way.'  Then 
Bill  will  say,  'Of  course,  I  can  prove  that.  There  is  Sim 
Hewlett  and  Frank  Bennett,  my  mates.  They  know  I  am 
Bill  Tunstall.'  'They  knew  you  before  you  came  out  here, 
I  suppose?'  '  Oh,  no  !  but  they  have  known  me  for  two  years.' 
'Known  you  as  William  Tunstall?'  'Yes,  of  course,'  Bill  will 
say,  beginning  to  get  riled.  Then  the  lawyer  will  point  out  to 
him  that  we  can  only  say  that  he  called  himself  Will  Tunstall, 
and  that  as  the  last  of  these  letters  he  has  got  is  dated  earlier 
than  that  it  comes  to  the  fact  that  there  is  only  his  word  to 
go  upon,  and  that  the  law  requires  very  much  stronger  proofs 
of  identity  than  this.  Then  Bill  will  get  mad,  and  will  say 
the  money  can  go  to  the  deuce,  and  that  he  sha'n't  trouble  any 
more  about  it." 

"What  then,  doctor?"  Sim  Hewlett  asked  as  his  companion 
stopped. 

"  Ah  !  well,  that  I  cannot  say.  He  may  come  straight  off 
without  doing  anything  more,  or  the  lawyer  may  get  him  to 
talk  it  over.  As  to  that  I  cannot  say ;  but  you  may  be  quite 
sure  that  if  Bill  is  to  touch  a  penny  of  the  money  left  to  him 
he  will  have  to  go  back  to  England  to  prove  who  he  is,  and 
it  is  like  enough  he  may  not  succeed  when  he  gets  there. 
By  what  he  says  he  was  only  at  home  just  occasionally  during 
his  school  holidays.  He  was  little  more  than  a  boy  when  he 
left,  and  after  twenty  years'  knocking  about  on  the  plains  and 
here  it  is  like  enough  he  may  not  be  able  to  find  a  soul  to 
recognize  him." 


CHAPTER  II. 

TERRIBLE  NEWS. 

WILLIAM  TUNSTALL  returned  to  Cedar  Gulch  the 
very  day  upon  which  his  mates  began  to  expect  him. 
Having  finished  up  the  work  in  their  claim  on  the  previous 
day  they  strolled  up  the  hill  to  meet  the  coach  on  the  chance 
of  his  coming. 

"Well,  mate,  how  goes  it?"  Sim  Hewlett  asked. 

"  Well,  it  doesn't  go  at  all,  Sim." 

"How is  that?" 

"  Well,  the  lawyer  was  civil,  and  all  that,  but  if  I  had  let 
him  he  would  have  made  me  believe  that  I  was  not  Will 
Tunstall  at  all.  I  showed  him  my  brother's  letters,  which 
ought  to  have  satisfied  anyone,  and  he  hinted  that  these  might 
have  come  into  my  possession  anyhow,  that  Tunstall  might  be 
dead,  or  that  his  kit,  with  these  letters  in  it,  might  have  been 
stolen." 

"  That  is  the  very  thing  the  doctor  said  he  would  be  after," 
Sim  Hewlett  exclaimed  in  great  admiration  at  the  latter's  per- 
spicacity. 

"I  suppose  he  didn't  say  he  thought  so,  Bill?"  the  doctor 
asked. 

"  No,  he  knew  better  than  that,  doctor.  He  kept  on  saying 
that  he  was  quite  satisfied,  but  that  other  people  wouldn't  be 
satisfied.  Then  he  asked  about  references,  who  could  I  refer 
to?  Could  I  refer  to  anyone  who  had  known  me  as  William 
Tunstall  before  the  date  of  these  letters?  I  said  that  I  had 
been  knocking  about  on  the  plains  and  doing  trapping  and 


30  THE  TROUBLES   OF   LAW. 

Indian  fighting  for  years,  and  that  I  was  known  as  English 
Bill,  and  that  I  did  not  suppose  there  were  half  a  dozen  fel- 
lows ever  did  know  my  name,  and  that,  for  aught  I  knew, 
they  had  all  been  scalped,  shot,  or  hung  long  ago.  He  said,  in 
that  case  I  should  have  to  go  to  England  to  prove  my  claim. 
I  said  I  would  see  the  claim  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  first,  and 
then  I  left  him. 

"  I  met  some  fellows,  and  made  a  night  of  it,  but  in  the 
morning  the  lawyer  turned  up  at  the  hotel  just  as  I  had 
finished  breakfast.  I  had  told  him  the  hotel  where  I  was  stay- 
ing. He  said  it  was  no  use  being  hasty.  I  said  I  wasn't 
hasty,  and  we  were  near  having  a  row  again.  Then  he  said 
that  he  had  only  had  instructions  to  find  me.  and  did  not  know 
how  much  was  left  me  under  the  will,  or  anything  about  it, 
except  what  he  had  put  in  the  advertisement.  At  anyrate  he 
would  write  to  the  people  who  had  instructed  him  in  England 
and  tell  them  that  a  gentleman  representing  himself  to  be 
William  Tunstall  had  called,  and  that  he  possessed  letters  from 
the  late  Mr.  Edgar  Tunstall.  That  in  the  present  state  of 
affairs  I  declined  to  make  the  voyage  to  England  for  the  pur- 
pose of  proving  my  identity,  but  that  he  had  my  address,  and 
could  communicate  further  with  me  upon  receiving  instructions 
from  them. 

"  I  told  him  to  say  that  I  didn't  want  the  money,  and  was 
not  going  to  put  myself  out  one  way  or  the  other  about  it.  He 
listened,  and  shook  his  head,  just  the  way  the  doctor  does  when 
he  don't  agree  with  you.  Then  he  remarked  that  he  would  not 
do  anything  rash  if  he  were  in  my  place.  I  told  him  it  was 
no  odds  to  me  whether  he  would  or  would  not,  and  as  I  had 
just  time  to  catch  the  steamer  I  wasn't  going  to  waste  any 
more  time  jawing  over  it,  so  off  I  came,  and  here  I  am.  Well, 
what  is  doing  here  ?  Has  there  been  any  fresh  rush  ?  " 

"  Nary  one.  The  doctor  and  I  think  we  cannot  do  better 
than  stay  here.  I  was  talking  with  Halkett  and  his  partners 
this  afternoon.  They  don't  get  on  well  together.  Halkett  said 
they  would  sell  out  if  they  could  get  a  fair  price.  They  are 


THE   OFFER   OF  A   CLAIM.  31 

getting  out  about  six  ounces  a  day.  No  great  thing,  but  they 
are  only  half-way  down  at  present.  It  is  in  four  shares,  for 
two  of  the  gang  are  on  day  wages.  Of  course,  I  said  that  it 
wasn't  much  of  a  thing  to  buy,  as  they  were  only  getting  an 
ounce  a  piece,  and  besides,  the  shaft  is  badly  timbered.  Still, 
if  they  would  say  what  they  wanted  for  it  we  would  talk  it 
over  with  you  when  you  got  back.  Halkett  was  evidently 
anxious  to  sell,  and  said  they  would  take  a  hundred  ounces  for 
it  right  out.  Of  course  I  said  that  was  too  much,  but  I  think 
it  is  a  bargain,  so  does  the  doctor.  They  have  got  through  the 
worst  half,  and  there  is  the  best  behind.  It  don't  always  turn 
out  rich  on  the  bed-rock  here  ;  it  didn't  with  us.  Still,  there  is 
the  chance  of  it ;  and  if  it  only  keeps  as  it  is  now,  and  we  take 
on  a  couple  of  men  to  work  with  us,  we  should,  after  paying 
them  and  keeping  ourselves,  be  making  three  ounces  a  day  any- 
how, and  it  will  take  us  a  couple  of  months  to  get  to  the  bottom, 
and  perhaps  more." 

"How  do  we  stand  after  the  clear-up,  doctor?"  for  Frank 
was  the  treasurer  of  the  party. 

"We  got  twenty  ounces  at  the  last  clear-up,  and  we  had 
eighty-nine  before,  so  if  we  give  him  his  price  we  should  have 
nine  ounces  left." 

"  It  will  take  fifty  or  sixty  dollars,"  Sim  Howlett  said,  "  to 
make  that  shaft  safe.  Halkett  is  the  only  one  of  the  lot  that 
knows  anything  about  that,  and  it  has  been  done  in  a  very 
slovenly  style.  I  shouldn't  like  to  work  down  there  until  we 
have  strengthened  it  all  the  way  down.  I  told  Halkett  the 
other  day  that  if  he  didn't  mind  it  would  be  caving  in.  I 
think  that  is  partly  why  they  are  selling." 

"  Well,  I  think  we  couldn't  do  better  than  take  it,  Sim ;  but 
you  must  get  them  to  knock  a  few  ounces  off,  otherwise  we 
shan't  have  enough  to  repair  the  shaft,  and  from  what  you 
say  we  must  do  that  before  we  go  to  work  in  the  bottom.  Let 
us  go  and  make  a  bargain  at  once." 

" That  will  never  do,  Bill,"  Sim  Howlett  said;  "that  would 
look  as  if  we  had  made  up  our  mind  to  take  it,  and  they  wouldn't 


32  A  PROPOSAL. 

come  down  an  ounce.  No,  no,  we  will  have  our  meal,  and  wait 
an  hour  or  two,  then  I  will  stroll  round  to  Halkett's  tent  and 
say  that  as  we  calculate  it  would  cost  a  heap  of  money  to  make 
the  shaft  safe  we  do  not  see  our  way  to  it,  though  we  might 
otherwise  have  taken  to  the  job.  Then  you  will  see  to-morrow 
morning,  when  they  knock  off  for  breakfast,  Halkett  will  come 
round  here  and  make  some  proposal." 

So  indeed  it  turned  out.  Soon  after  breakfast  Halkett  came 
to  the  tent  door.  "  Look  here,  boys,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  get  out 
of  this  lot.  The  men  I  am  working  with  ain't  worth  shucks. 
The  three  of  them  don't  do  a  fair  man's  work,  and  I  am  sick  of 
it.  But  I  have  been  talking  to  them,  and  they  won't  take  less 
than  twenty-five  ounces  a  share,  and  they  have  been  talking  to 
some  men  who  have  pretty  well  made  up  their  minds  to  give  it. 
If  I  had  the  dust  I  would  buy  the  others  out,  but  I  haven't. 
If  you  will  buy  the  other  three  out  at  their  terms  I  will  keep 
my  share  and  work  partners  with  you.  I  have  got  enough 
dust  to  pay  my  share  of  retimbering  the  shaft.  What  do  you 
say?" 

The  doctor  had  gone  off  to  take  some  broth  to  two  of  his 
patients.  The  other  two  looked  at  each  other,  and  then  Sim 
Hewlett  said  :  "  Well,  this  is  how  it  stands,  Halkett.  My  mate 
here  and  I  would  have  no  objection  to  work  with  you ;  but  it 
is  this  way :  we  and  the  doctor  have  chummed  together,  and 
have  never  taken  anyone  else  in  with  us,  partly  because  we  are 
quite  content  as  it  is,  and  partly  because  the  doctor  can't  do 
his  share  of  the  work — he  hasn't  got  it  in  him.  We  don't 
want  to  go  away  from  here  now,  and  we  have  dust  enough  to 
buy  your  three  partners  out.  I  suppose  we  should  want  to 
work  four  at  that  shaft.  I  don't  know  what  you  have  been 
working  six  for,  except  that  three  of  your  lot  are  of  no  use." 

"  That  is  about  it,"  Halkett  said. 

"  So  you  see  we  should  have  to  take  on  a  man  to  do  the 
doctor's  work." 

"  Well,  you  would  have  to  do  that  if  you  worked  it  your* 
selves." 


A   NEW   PARTNER.  33 

"  So  we  should,"  Sim  Hewlett  assented.  "  What  do  you  say, 
Bill?" 

"  Halkett's  proposal  seems  a  fair  one,  Sim ;  it  seems  to  me 
we  can't  do  better  than  accept  it.  We  must  consult  the  doctor, 
Halkett  He  is  sure  to  agree,  but  we  should  not  like  to  do 
it  without  speaking  to  him ;  that  would  not  be  fair.  But  you 
may  consider  it  a  bargain." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  go  back  and  tell  them  I  have  made  the 
agreement  with  you.  Then  I  will  come  back  and  bring  you 
fifteen  ounces  of  dust,  which  is  all  I  have  got ;  I  don't  want 
them  to  know  that  I  am  going  to  stop  in  it.  If  I  do,  like 
enough  they  will  cut  up  rusty,  so  I  want  you  to  make  it 
up  and  hand  the  hundred  ounces  over  clear;  then  they  will 
hand  me  my  share,  and  I  can  give  you  the  other  ten  ounces. 
They  will  leave  the  camp  as  soon  as  they  get  their  money. 
Somebody  has  been  blowing  to  them  about  a  find  he  has  made 
prospecting  among  the  hills,  and  I  fancy  they  mean  going  off 
with  him,  and  it  would  be  no  use  letting  on  that  I  am  going  to 
stop  in  the  partnership  until  they  have  gone.  They  are  just 
the  sort  of  fellows  to  think  that  I  had  been  somehow  basting 
them,  and  if  they  said  so  there  would  be  trouble,  and  I  1on't 
want  to  do  any  of  them  harm." 

The  doctor  on  his  return  fell  in,  as  a  matter  of  course,  with 
his  mates'  arrangement. 

At  dinner-time  Halkett  and  his  partners  came  in,  and  the 
dust  was  weighed  out  and  handed  over  to  them.  Sim  Hewlett 
and  Tunstall  spent  the  afternoon  in  making  a  careful  exam- 
ination of  the  shaft,  and  in  deciding  upon  the  best  plan  for 
strengthening  it.  Halkett's  former  partners  left  a  couple  of 
hours  after  they  got  the  money,  and  on  the  following  morning 
the  new  proprietors  of  the  claim  set  to  work.  The  first  step 
was  to  make  an  arrangement  with  a  man  who  had  horses;  to 
haul  timber  from  a  little  saw-mill  that  had  been  erected  two 
miles  away,  and  as  soon  as  this  began  to  arrive,  the  work  of 
strengthening  the  shaft  was  set  about.  It  took  the  three  men, 
and  another  whom  they  had  taken  on  at  daily  pay,  a  week,  and 


34  THE   ADVERTISEMENT. 

at  the  end  of  that  time  it  was  pronounced  safe  against  any  pres* 
sure  it  was  likely  to  have  to  bear. 

The  advertisement  in  the  Sacramento  paper  had  been  noticed 
by  others  than  by  those  for  whom  it  was  intended,  and  there 
happened  to  be  among  the  miners  who  had  worked  at  various 
times  in  the  same  diggings  with  William  Tunstall  another  who 
had  been  on  the  jury  when  he  had  mentioned  his  name.  He 
did  not,  however,  notice  the  advertisement  until  a  day  or  two 
after  the  newspaper  had  arrived  in  camp. 

"  There,"  he  said  to  some  mates  who  were  sitting  round  the 
fire,  "  that  is  just  like  my  luck ;  there  is  five  hundred  dollars 
slipped  clean  through  my  fingers  because  I  did  not  happen  to 
see  this  here  paper  before." 

"How  is  that,  Jones?" 

"  Why,  here  is  five  hundred  dollars  offered  for  information 
as  to  the  whereabouts  of  William  Tunstall." 

"And  who  is  William  Tunstall?     I  never  heard  of  him." 

"  Why,  English  Bill ;  that  is  his  name  sure  enough ;  he  gave 
it  on  a  jury  we  served  on  together.  I  told  him  then  I  had 
never  heard  the  name  before.  That  is  how  I  came  to  remember 
it." 

"  Well,  why  are  you  too  late  ?  Why  don't  you  write  off  at 
once  and  say  he  is  here,  and  claim  the  money?" 

"  Because  he  is  gone,  mate.  Sim  Hewlett  asked  Black  John- 
son yesterday,  when  I  was  standing  by,  if  he  knew  of  a  good 
man  he  could  take  on  for  a  week's  work,  as  he  was  single- 
handed,  for  of  course  Limping  Frank  don't  count  in  the  way 
of  work.  I  asked  him  if  English  Bill  was  laid  up,  and  he  said, 
No  j  he  had  gone  the  night  before  down  to  Frisco.  I  wondered 
then  at  his  starting  just  before  they  had  cleaned  up  their 
claim.  Now  it  is  clear  enough,  he  had  seen  this  advertisement." 

"Bolted?"  one  of  the  other  men  asked. 

"  Bolted  !  no,"  Jones  said  in  a  tone  of  contemptuous  disgust. 
"You  don't  suppose  English  Bill  has  been  cutting  anyone's 
throat,  do  you  ?  or  robbing  some  digger  of  his  swag  ?  No,  he 
has  gone  down  to  Frisco  to  see  the  chap  that  put  this  into 


CEDAR   GULCH   IS   DISAPPOINTED.  35 

the  paper.  Why,  look  here,"  and  he  read  the  advertisement 
aloud ;  "  he  has  come  into  a  fortune,  I  expect.  They  would 
never  have  taken  the  trouble  to  advertise  for  him  if  it  hadn't 
been  a  big  sum.  You  bet  English  Bill  has  struck  it  rich ;  like 
enough  it  is  a  thundering  big  ranche,  with  two  or  three  hundred 
thousand  head  of  cattle." 

"They  don't  have  estates  like  that  in  England,"  another 
digger  put  in.  "  I  was  chatting  with  an  Englishman  at  Holly 
Creek.  He  said  land  was  .worth  a  heap  there,  but  it  was  all 
cultivated  and  hedged  in,  and  he  didn't  suppose  as  there  was 
a  man  in  the  whole  country  who  had  got  as  much  as  five  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle.  However,  cattle  or  not,  I  expect  it  is  a 
big  thing  English  Bill  has  come  in  for,  and  we  shan't  see  him 
in  here  again." 

The  news  spread  quickly  through  the  camp.  It  was  dis- 
cussed by  the  men  as  they  worked  the  rockers,  by  the  gamblers 
up  at  the  saloon,  and  in  the  tents  when  the  work  was  done. 
Sim  Hewlett  was  soon  questioned,  but  was  surly,  and  little 
could  be  got  from  him.  Limping  Frank  was  no  more  com- 
municative. He  was  accosted  frequently,  as  he  went  from  the 
tents  with  his  soups  and  medicines,  with  "  Well,  Frank,  so  I 
hear  your  mate  has  come  in  for  a  big  thing,  and  gone  down  to 
Frisco.  Jack  Jones  saw  the  advertisement  for  him  in  the  paper." 

"  If  Jack  Jones  saw  it,  of  course  it  was  there,"  the  doctor 
said  with  his  quiet  smile;  "couldn't  have  seen  it  otherwise, 
could  he  ?  Yes,  Bill  has  gone  off.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  it 
is  a  big  thing;  hadn't  heard  it  before.  It  will  be  a  surprise 
to  him,  for  he  didn't  expect  it  would  be  a  big  thing.  Didn't 
think  it  would  be  worth  troubling  about,  you  see.  However, 
I  daresay  he  will  be  back  in  a  week  or  two,  and  then  no  doubt 
he  will  tell  you  all  about  it." 

Cedar  Gulch  was  greatly  disappointed  when  English  Bill 
reappeared  in  his  ordinary  red  shirt,  high  boots,  and  miner's 
hat,  and  went  to  work  on  the  following  afternoon  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  There  had  been  a  general  idea  that  if  he  came 
back  he  would  appear  in  store-clothes  and  a  high  hat,  and 


36  A   GAMBLER. 

perhaps  come  in  a  carriage  with  four  horses  all  to  himself,  and 
that  he  would  stand  champagne  to  the  whole  camp,  and  that 
there  would  be  generally  a  good  time.  He  himself,  when 
questioned  on  the  subject,  turned  the  matter  off  by  saying  he 
had  not  thought  the  thing  worth  bothering  about;  that  he 
could  not  get  what  there  was  without  going  to  England  to 
fetch  it,  and  that  it  might  go  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea  before 
he  took  that  trouble. 

The  only  person  to  whom  he  said  more  was  the  man  who 
ran  the  gambling- table.  Things  had  been  lately  going  on 
more  quietly  there,  and  the  gambler  had  postponed  his  depar- 
ture to  San  Francisco.  Bill  Tunstall  spent,  as  the  doctor  said, 
no  inconsiderable  portion  of  his  earnings  at  the  gambling-tables, 
and  had  struck  up  an  acquaintance  with  Symonds.  The  latter 
was,  like  many  of  his  class,  a  man  of  quiet  and  pleasant  man- 
ners. For  his  profession  a  nerve  of  iron  was  required,  for 
pistols  were  frequently  drawn  by  disappointed  miners,  flushed 
with  drink  and  furious  at  their  losses,  and  the  professional 
gambler  had  his  life  constantly  in  his  hands.  The  accusation, 
"  You  cheated  me  !  "  was  the  sure  signal  for  one  or  two  pistol 
shots  to  ring  out  in  sharp  succession,  then  a  body  would  be 
carried  out,  and  play  resumed. 

Symonds  bore  no  worse  reputation  than  others  of  the  class. 
It  was  assumed,  of  course,  that  he  would  cheat  if  he  had  the 
chance ;  but  with  a  dozen  men  looking  on  and  watching  every 
movement  of  the  fingers,  even  the  cleverest  gambler  generally 
played  fair.  These  men  were  generally,  by  birth  and  educa- 
tion, far  above  those  with  whom  they  played.  They  had  fallen 
from  the  position  they  had  once  occupied  ;  had,  perhaps,  in  the 
first  place  been  victims  of  gamblers,  just  as  they  now  victimized 
others ;  had  been  cast  out  from  society  as  detected  cheats  or 
convicted  swindlers ;  but  now,  thanks  to  nerve,  recklessness  of 
life,  and  sleight  of  hand,  they  reaped  a  fortune,  until  the  bullet 
of  a  ruined  miner,  or  the  rope  of  Judge  Lynch,  cut  short  their 
career. 

Symonds  was  not  unpopular  among  the  miners.  He  was  liberal 


A  DANGEROUS  MAN.  37 

with  his  money,  had  many  times  spared  men  who,  according 
to  the  code  of  the  diggings,  had  forfeited  their  lives  by  an 
insult  or  by  a  shot  that  had  missed  its  aim.  He  had  often  set 
men  on  their  legs  again  who  had  lost  their  all  to  him ;  and  if 
there  was  a  subscription  raised  for  some  man  down  with  fever, 
or  for  a  woman  whose  husband  had  been  killed  in  a  shaft, 
Symonds  would  head  the  list  with  a  handsome  sum.  And  yet 
there  were  few  men  more  feared.  Magnanimous  on  some 
occasions,  he  was  ruthless  on  others.  He  was  a  dead  shot,  and 
handled  his  pistol  with  a  lightning  speed,  that  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  enabled  him  to  fire  first ;  and  while  he  would  con- 
temptuously spare  a  man  who  was  simply  maddened  by  ruin 
and  drink,  the  notorious  bully,  the  terror  of  a  camp,  a  man 
who  deliberately  forced  a  quarrel  upon  him,  relying  upon  his 
strength  or  skill,  would  be  shot  down  without  hesitation. 

Thus  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  feeling  of  the  communities 
among  whom  he  plied  his  vocation  was  in  his  favour.  While 
he  himself  was  a  dangerous  man,  he  rid  the  camp  of  others  who 
were  still  more  obnoxious,  and  the  verdict  after  most  of  these 
saloon  frays  was,  "  Served  him  right ; "  but  as  a  rule  men 
avoided  discussing  Symonds  or  his  affairs.  It  was  dangerous 
to  do  so,  for  somehow  he  seemed  always  to  learn  what  was  said 
of  him,  and  sooner  or  later  the  words  were  paid  for. 

Will  Tunstall  knew  that  he  was  a  dangerous  man,  and  had 
no  doubt  that  he  was  an  utterly  unscrupulous  one,  but  he  him- 
self never  drank  while  he  played,  and  was  never  out  of  temper 
when  he  lost,  therefore  he  had  no  reason  whatever  to  fear  the, 
man,  and  Symonds  had  always  been  civil  and  pleasant  with 
him,  recognizing  that  there  was  something  in  him  that  placed 
him  somewhat  apart  from  the  rough  crowd.  He  met  him  one 
afternoon  soon  after  his  return. 

"Is  it  true  all  this  they  are  saying  about  you,  Bill?"  Sy- 
monds asked. 

"  Well,  it  is  true  enough  that  I  was  advertised  for,  and  went 
down  to  Frisco  to  see  a  man  there  about  it.  Of  course  it  is 
all  nonsense  as  to  what  they  are  saying  about  the  value  of  it 


38  THE   OFFER   OF  A   LOAN. 

It  is  some  family  property  that  might  have  come  to  me  long 
ago  if  I  hadn't  kicked  over  the  traces ;  but  I  am  not  going  to 
trouble  about  it.  I  shall  have  all  the  bother  and  expense  of 
going  to  England  to  prove  who  I  am,  and  I  wouldn't  do  it  if 
it  were  ten  times  as  much." 

"  Come  and  have  a  glass  of  cham,  Bill.  My  own  story  is  a 
good  deal  like  yours.  I  daresay  I  might  be  master  of  a  good 
estate  in  the  old  country  now,  if  I  hadn't  gone  a  mucker." 

"  It  is  too  early  to  drink,"  Will  said ;  "  if  I  did  drink  it 
would  be  just  a  cocktail.  The  champagne  you  get  is  poison." 

"  Just  as  you  like.  By  the  way,  if  I  can  be  of  any  use  to 
you  let  me  know.  It  is  an  expensive  run  home  to  England 
from  here,  and  if  you  have  need  for  a  thousand  dollars,  I 
could  let  you  have  them.  I  have  had  a  good  run  of  luck  this 
last  six  months.  It  would  be  a  business  transaction,  you  know, 
and  you  could  pay  me  a  couple  of  hundred  for  the  use  of  it. 
It  is  of  no  use  losing  a  good  thing  for  the  want  of  funds." 

"  Thank  you,  Symonds.  I  have  enough  to  take  me  home  if 
I  have  to  go ;  but  I  am  very  much  obliged  for  the  offer  all 
the  same." 

"  It  is  business,"  the  other  said  carelessly,  "  and  there  are  no 
thanks  due.  If  you  change  your  mind  let  me  know ;  mind  I 
owe  you  a  cocktail  next  time  we  meet  in  the  saloon." 

The  gambler  went  on.  Will  Tunstall  looked  after  him  with 
a  little  wonder  at  the  offer  he  had  made.  "  It  is  a  good- 
natured  thing  to  offer,  for,  of  course,  if  I  went  to  England  he 
could  not  make  anything  out  of  me  beyond  the  interest  of  the 
money,  and  he  would  get  more  than  that  putting  it  on  house 
property  in  Frisco.  He  is  a  queer  card,  and  would  look  more 
at  home  in  New  York  than  in  Cedar  Gulch  ! " 

The  gambler's  dress,  indeed,  was  out  of  place  with  the  sur- 
roundings. Like  most  of  his  class  he  dressed  with  scrupulous 
neatness ;  his  clothes  were  well  made,  and  fitted  him  ;  he  wore 
a  white  shirt,  the  only  one  in  the  camp,  and  abstained  from 
the  diamond  studs  and  rings,  and  heavy  gold  watch-chain  that 
was  generally  affected  by  professional  gamblers.  He  was  tall, 


TALKING  FT  OVER.  39 

as  tall  as  Tunstall  himself,  though  not  so  broad  or  so  stronglj* 
built ;  but  his  figure  was  well  knit,  there  was  in  his  walk  and 
action  an  air  of  lightness  and  activity,  and  he  had  more  than 
once  shown  that  he  possessed  an  altogether  unusual  amount  of 
muscular  strength. 

"It  is  a  pity  that  the  fellow  is  what  he  is,"  Will  Tunstall 
said  when  he  turned  away;  "what  a  soldier  he  would  have 
made,  with  his  strength,  and  pluck,  and  wonderful  coolness  ! " 

This  little  conversation  was  followed  by  several  others. 
Somehow  or  other  they  met  more  frequently  than  they  had 
done  before,  and  one  evening,  when  there  was  no  play  in  the 
saloon,  Symonds  asked  him  to  come  in  and  have  a  chat  with 
him  in  his  private  room  at  the  hotel.  For  some  time  they 
chatted  on  different  subjects.  Symonds  had  brought  out  a  box 
of  superb  cigars,  and  a  bottle  of  such  claret  as  Will  Tunstall 
had  not  drunk  for  years,  saying  carelessly  as  he  did  so,  "I 
always  carry  my  own  tipple  about  with  me.  It  would  ruin  my 
nerves  to  drink  the  poison  they  keep  at  these  places." 

After  a  time  he  brought  the  subject  round  to  the  legacy.  "  I 
have  been  thinking  over  what  you  said  about  not  going  back, 
and  I  think  you  are  wrong,  if  you  don't  mind  my  saying  so. 
What  have  you  got  to  look  forward  to  here  ?  Toil  and  slave 
year  after  year,  without  ever  getting  a  step  further,  living  all 
the  time  a  life  harder  than  that  of  the  poorest  labourer  at 
home.  It  is  well  enough  now,  I  suppose.  You  are  seven  or 
eight  and  thirty,  just  about  my  own  age ;  in  another  ten  years 
you  will  be  sorry  you  let  the  chance  slip.  Of  course  it  is 
different  with  me.  As  far  as  money  goes,  I  could  give  it  up 
now,  but  I  cannot  go  back  again.  Men  don't  take  to  my  sort 
of  life,"  he  said  with  some  bitterness,  "  unless  they  have  got  a 
pretty  bad  record  behind  them ;  but  I  shall  give  it  up  before 
very  long,  unless  I  am  wiped  out  first.  Then  I'll  go  and  settle 
in  South  America,  or  some  place  of  that  sort,  buy  an  estate, 
and  set  up  as  a  rich  and  virtuous  Englishman  whose  own 
climate  doesn't  agree  with  him." 

Then  he  carelessly  changed  the  subject  again,  but  it  was 


40  A  LAST  LETTER. 

reverted  to  once  or  twice  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  and 
before  Will  left  he  had  said  enough  to  enable  his  companion 
to  gather  a  fair  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  property,  and  the 
share  he  was  likely  to  have  of  it. 

The  new  claim  turned  out  fairly  well,  improving  somewhat 
in  depth,  and  yielding  a  good  though  not  an  extraordinary  profit 
to  the  partners.  Some  four  months  after  Will  Tunstall  had 
been  down  to  San  Francisco,  he  received  a  bulky  letter  from 
the  attorney  there.  It  contained  an  abstract  of  his  brother's 
will.  This  left  him  half  the  property,  with  a  statement  saying 
that  he  considered  it  to  be  his  brother's  by  right,  and  inclosed 
with  it  was  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  a  few  days  before  his 
death.  It  ran  as  follows : — 

"MY  DEAR  WILL, — You  have  wandered  about  long  enough.  It  is  high 
time  for  you  to  come  back  to  the  old  place  that  you  ought  never  to  have 
left.  I  shall  not  see  you  again,  for  I  have  long  been  suffering  from  heart- 
disease,  and  the  doctors  tell  me  the  end  may  come  any  day.  I  have  had 
the  opinion  of  some  of  the  best  authorities,  and  they  all  say  that,  thanks  to 
some  peculiar  wording  in  the  will,  which  I  don't  understand  in  the  slight- 
est, the  prohibition  to  divide  with  you  is  only  binding  during  my  lifetime, 
and  that  nothing  is  said  that  restricts  my  right  to  leave  it  as  I  please.  I 
don't  suppose  the  contingency  of  your  surviving  me  ever  entered  into  our 
father's  mind,  and  probably  he  thought  that  you  would  never  be  heard  of 
again.  However,  you  see  it  has  turned  out  otherwise.  You  have  wandered 
and  roughed  it,  and  gone  through  dangers  of  all  sorts,  and  are  still,  you  tell 
me,  strong  and  healthy.  I  have  lived  quietly  and  comfortably  with  every 
luxury,  and  without  a  day's  trouble,  save  my  terrible  grief  when  my  wife 
died,  and  the  ever-constant  regret  that  you  were  not  here  beside  me;  yet 
I  am  dying,  but  that  enables  me  at  last  to  redress  to  some  extent  the  cruel 
wrong  you  have  suffered. 

"  I  have  left  you  half  the  estate,  and  it  makes  me  happy  to  think  that 
you  will  come  back  again  to  it.  I  have  appointed  you  sole  guardian  of  my 
boy.  He  is  only  twelve  years  old,  and  I  want  you  to  be  a  father  to  him. 
The  estate  is  large  enough  for  you  both,  and  I  hope  that  you  may,  on  your 
return,  marry,  and  be  happy  here ;  if  not,  I  suppose  it  will  all  go  to  bina  at 
your  death.  In  any  case,  I  pray  you  to  come  home,  for  the  boy's  sake,  and 
for  your  own.  It  is  my  last  request,  and  I  hope  and  believe  that  you  will 
grant  it.  You  were  always  good  to  me  when  we  were  boys  together,  and 
I  feel  sure  that  you  will  well  supply  my  place  to  Hugh.  God  bless  you, 
old  fellow !  Your  affectionate  brother,  EDGAR." 


"IT  IS  YOUR  PLAIN   DUTY."  41 

With  these  documents  was  a  letter  from  the  solicitors  to 
the  family  saying  that  they  had  heard  from  their  agents  at 
San  Francisco  that  he  had  presented  himself  in  answer  to  their 
advertisement,  and  had  shown  them  the  letters  of  the  late  Mr. 
Edgar  Tunstall.  They  therefore  forwarded  him  copies  of  the 
will,  and  of  Mr.  TunstalFs  letter,  and  begged  him  to  return 
home  without  delay,  as  his  presence  was  urgently  required,, 
They  assumed,  of  course,  that  they  were  writing  to  Mr. 
William  Tunstall,  and  that  when  he  arrived  he  would  have  no 
difficulty  whatever  in  proving  his  identity. 

"I  think  I  must  go,  boys,"  he  said  as,  after  reading  his 
brother's  letter  three  or  four  times,  he  folded  the  papers  up, 
and  put  them  in  his  pocket.  "My  brother  has  made  me 
guardian  of  his  boy,  and  puts  it  so  strongly  that  I  think  I 
must  go  over  for  a  bit.  I  don't  suppose  I  shall  have  to  stop ; 
although  the  lawyers  say  that  I  am  urgently  required  there; 
but,  mind,  I  mean  to  do  just  what  I  said.  I  shall  take  a 
thousand  pounds  or  so,  and  renounce  the  rest.  A  nice  figure 
I  should  make  setting  up  at  home  as  a  big  land-owner.  I 
should  be  perfectly  miserable  there.  No,  you  take  my  word 
for  it,  I  shall  be  back  here  in  six  months  at  the  outside.  I  shall 
get  a  joint  guardian  appointed  to  the  boy ;  the  clergyman  of 
the  place,  or  some  one  who  is  better  fitted  to  see  after  his 
education  and  bringing  up  than  I  am.  When  he  gets  to  seven- 
teen or  eighteen,  and  a  staunch  friend  who  knows  the  world 
pretty  well  may  be  really  of  use  to  him,  I  shall  go  over  and 
take  him  on  his  travels  for  two  or  three  years.  Bring  him  out 
here  a  bit,  perhaps.  However,  that  is  in  the  distance. 
I  am  going  now  for  a  few  months ;  then  you  will  see  me  back 
here.  I  wish  I  wasn't  going ;  it  is  a  horrible  nuisance,  but  I 
don't  see  that  I  can  get  out  of  it." 

"Certainly  you  cannot,  Bill;  it  is  your  plain  duty.  We 
don't  go  by  duty  much  in  these  diggings,  and  it  will  be  pleasant 
to  see  somebody  do  a  thing  that  he  doesn't  like  because  it  is 
right.  We  shall  miss  you,  of  course — miss  you  badly.  But 
we  all  lose  friends,  and  nowhere  so  much  as  here ;  for  what  with 


42  CLEARING   UP. 

drink  and  fever  and  bullets  the  percentage  wiped  out  is  large. 
You  are  going  because,  in  fact,  you  can't  help  yourself.  We 
shall  be  glad  when  you  come  back ;  but  if  you  don't  come  back, 
we  shall  know  that  it  was  because  you  couldn't.  Yes,  I  know 
you  have  quite  made  up  your  mind  about  that ;  but  circum- 
stances are  too  strong  for  men,  and  it  may  be  that,  however 
much  you  may  wish  it,  you  won't  be  able  to  come.  Well,  we 
shall  be  clearing  up  the  claim  in  another  two  or  three  days,  so 
it  could  not  come  at  a  better  time  if  it  had  to  come." 

The  work  was  continued  to  the  end  of  the  week,  and  then, 
the  last  pan  of  dirt  having  been  washed,  the  partners  divided 
the  result.  Each  week's  take  had  been  sent  down  by  the 
weekly  convoy  to  the  bank  at  Sacramento,  for  robberies  were 
not  uncommon,  and  prudent  men  only  retained  enough  gold- 
dust  by  them  for  their  immediate  wants.  But  adding  the  dust 
and  nuggets  acquired  during  the  last  and  best  week's  work  to 
the  amount  for  which  they  had  the  bank's  receipt,  the  four 
partners  found  that  they  had,  after  paying  all  their  expenseSj 
two  hundred  and  fifty  ounces  of  gold. 

"  Sixty-two  ounces  and  a  half  each,"  the  doctor  said.  "  It 
might  have  been  better,  it  might  have  been  worse.  We  put  in 
twenty-five  each  four  months  ago,  so  we  have  got  thirty-seven 
ounces  each  for  our  work,  after  paying  expenses,  and  each  draw- 
ing half  an  ounce  a  day  to  spend  as  he  liked.  This  we  have, 
of  course,  all  of  us  laid  by." 

There  was  a  general  laugh,  for  not  one  of  them  had  above  an 
ounce  or  two  remaining. 

"  Well,  it  isn't  bad  anyhow,  doctor,"  William  Tunstall  said. 
"  Sixty- two  ounces  apiece  will  make  roughly  .£250,  which  is  as 
much  as  we  have  ever  had  before  on  winding  up  a  job.  My 
share  will  be  enough  to  take  me  to  England  and  back." 

"  Yes,  provided  you  don't  drop  it  all  in  some  gambling  saloon 
at  Sacramento  or  San  Francisco,"  the  doctor  said. 

"  I  shan't  do  that,  doctor.  I  have  lost  big  sums  before  now 
in  a  night's  play,  I  confess ;  but  I  knew  I  could  set  to  work 
and  earn  more.  Now  I  have  got  an  object  before  me." 


A   LAST   SPREE.  43 

That  afternoon  English  Bill  went  round  the  camp  saying 
good-bye  to  his  acquaintances,  and  although  it  was  very  seldom 
that  he  drank  too  much,  the  standing  treat  and  being  treated 
in  turn  was  too  much  for  his  head,  and  it  was  with  a  very 
unsteady  step  indeed  that  he  returned  late  in  the  evening  to 
his  tent.  Sim  Hewlett,  who  had  started  with  him,  had  suc- 
cumbed hours  before,  and  had  been  carried  down  from  the 
saloon  by  a  party  who  were  scarcely  able  to  keep  on  their  own 
legs. 

When  Will  Tunstall  woke  in  the  morning  he  had  but  a  vague 
idea  of  the  events  of  the  latter  part  of  the  evening.  He  re- 
membered hazily  that  there  had  been  many  quarrels  and  rows, 
but  what  they  had  been  about  he  knew  not,  though  he  felt 
sure  that  there  had  been  no  shooting.  He  had  a  dim  recol- 
lection that  he  had  gone  into  Symonds'  room  at  the  hotel, 
where  he  had  some  champagne,  and  a  talk  about  his  trip  to 
England  and  about  the  people  there. 

"  What  the  deuce  could  have  set  me  talking  about  them  ?  " 
he  wondered  in  his  mind.  He  was  roused  from  these  thoughts 
by  the  doctor. 

"  If  you  are  going  to  catch  this  morning's  coach,  Bill,  you 
must  pull  yourself  together." 

"  All  right ! "  he  said,  getting  on  to  his  feet.  "  I  shall  be 
myself  when  I  have  put  my  head  in  a  bucket  of  water.  I'm 
afraid  I  was  very  drunk  last  night." 

"  Well,  you  were  drunk,  Bill.  I  have  never  seen  you  drunk 
but  once  before  since  we  were  partners ;  but  I  suppose  no  one 
ever  did  get  out  of  a  mining  camp  where  he  had  been  working 
for  some  time,  and  had  fairly  good  luck,  without  getting  pretty 
well  bowled  over  after  going  the  rounds  to  say  good-bye.  Now, 
then,  Sim,  wake  up  !  Bill  will  be  off  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
I  have  got  breakfast  ready." 

Sim  Hewlett  needed  no  second  call.  It  was  no  very  unusual 
thing  for  him  to  be  drunk  overnight  and  at  work  by  daybreak 
the  following  morning.  So  after  stretching  himself  and  yawn- 
ing, and  following  Will's  example  of  having  a  wash,  he  was 


44  MURDERED  ! 

ready  to  sit  down  to  breakfast  with  an  excellent  appetite 
Will,  however,  did  poor  justice  to  the  doctor's  efforts,  and  ten 
minutes  later  the  trio  started  off  to  meet  the  coach.  There 
were  many  shouts  of  "  Good-bye,  mate  !  good  luck  to  yer  ! " 
from  the  men  going  down  to  the  diggings,  but  they  were  soon 
beyond  the  camp.  Few  words  were  said  as  they  went  up  the 
hill,  for  the  three  men  were  much  attached  to  each  other,  and 
all  felt  the  parting.  Fortunately  they  had  but  two  or  three 
minutes  to  wait  before  the  coach  came  in  sight. 

"  Just  you  look  out  for  me  in  about  six  months'  time,  mates ; 
but  I'll  write  directly  I  get  home,  and  tell  you  all  about  things. 
I  shall  direct  here,  and  you  can  get  someone  to  ask  for  your 
letters  and  send  them  after  you  if  you  have  moved  to  a  new 
camp." 

With  a  last  grasp  of  the  hand,  Tunstall  climbed  up  to  the 
top  of  the  coach,  his  bundle  was  thrown  up  to  him,  the  coach- 
man cracked  his  whip,  the  horses  started  again  at  a  gallop,  and 
Sim  Hewlett  and  his  mate  went  down  to  Cedar  Gulch  without 
another  word  being  spoken  between  them. 

Three  days  later,  as  they  were  breakfasting  in  their  tent,  for 
they  had  not  yet  made  up  their  minds  what  they  should  do,  a 
miner  entered. 

"  Hello,  Dick !  Back  from  your  spree  ?  How  did  you  get 
on  at  Frisco?" 

"  Yes,  I  have  just  got  off  the  coach.  I  have  got  some  bad 
news  to  tell  you,  mates." 

"  Bad  news  !    Why,  what  is  that,  Dick?"  Sim  Hewlett  asked. 

"  Well,  I  know  it  will  hit  you  pretty  hard,  mates,  for  I  know 
you  thought  a  heap  of  him.  Well,  lads,  it  is  no  use  making  a 
long  story  of  it,  bat  your  mate,  English  Bill,  has  been  mur- 
dered." 

The  two  men  started  to  their  feet — Sim  Hewlett  with  a 
terrible  imprecation,  the  doctor  with  a  cry  like  the  scream  of 
a  woman. 

"  It  is  true,  mates,  for  I  saw  the  body.  I  should  have  been 
up  yesterday,  but  I  had  to  wait  for  the  inquest  to  say  who  he 


"WE   WILL   HUNT    HIM    DOWN."  45 

was.  I  was  going  to  the  coach  in  the  morning  when  I  saw 
half  a  dozen  men  gathered  round  a  body  on  the  footway  of  a 
small  street.  There  was  nothing  unusual  in  that  at  Sacra- 
mento. I  don't  know  what  made  me  turn  off  to  have  a  look 
at  the  body.  Directly  I  saw  it  I  knew  who  it  was.  It  was 
English  Bill,  so  I  put  off  coming,  and  stopped  to  the  inquest. 
He  hadn't  been  killed  fair,  he  had  been  shot  down  from 
behind  with  a  bullet  in  the  back  of  his  head.  No  one  had 
heard  the  shot  particular.  No  one  thinks  anything  of  a  shot 
in  Sacramento.  No  one  seemed  to  know  anything  about  him, 
and  the  inquest  didn't  take  five  minutes.  Of  course  they  found 
a  verdict  of  wilful  murder  against  some  person  unknown." 

Sim  Hewlett  listened  to  the  narration  with  his  hands  clenched 
as  if  grasping  a  weapon,  his  eyes  blazing  with  fury,  and  mut- 
tering ejaculations  of  rage  and  horror.  The  doctor  hardly 
seemed  to  hear  what  was  said.  He  was  moving  about  the  tent 
in  a  seemingly  aimless  way,  blinded  with  tears.  Presently  he 
came  upon  his  revolver,  which  he  thrust  into  his  belt,  then  he 
dropped  his  bag  of  gold-dust  inside  his  shirt,  and  he  then  picked 
up  his  hat. 

"  Come  along,  Sim,"  he  said  in  hurried  tones,  touching  his 
companion  on  the  arm. 

"  Come  along  ! "  Sim  repeated.     "  Where  are  you  going  ?  " 

"  To  Sacramento,  of  course.  We  will  hunt  him  down,  who- 
erer  did  it.  I  will  find  him  and  kill  him  if  it  takes  years  to 
do  it," 

"  I  am  with  you,"  Sim  said ;  "  but  there  is  no  coach  until 
to-night." 

"  There  is  a  coach  that  passes  through  Alta  at  twelve  o'clock. 
It  is  fifteen  miles  to  walk,  but  we  shall  be  there  in  time,  and  it 
will  take  us  into  Sacramento  by  midnight." 

Sim  Hewlett  snatched  up  his  revolver,  secured  his  bag  of 
gold-dust,  and  said  to  the  man  who  had  brought  the  news, 
"Fasten  up  the  tent,  Dick,  and  keep  an  eye  on  it  and  the 
traps.  The  best  thing  will  be  for  you  to  fix  yourself  here 
until  we  come  back." 


46  A   SEVERE    FEAT. 

"That  will  suit  me,  Sim.  I  got  rid  of  all  my  swag  before 
I  left.  You  will  find  it  all  right  when  you  return." 

They  had  but  four  hours  to  do  the  distance  across  a  very 
broken  and  hilly  country,  but  they  were  at  Alta  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  before  the  coach  was  due.  It  taxed  Sim  Hewlett's 
powers  to  the  utmost,  and  even  in  his  rage  and  grief  he  could 
not  help  looking  with  astonishment  at  his  companion,  who 
seemed  to  keep  up  with  him  without  difficulty.  They  ran 
down  the  steep  hills  and  toiled  up  the  formidable  ascents.  The 
doctor's  breath  came  quick  and  short,  but  he  seemed  almost 
unconscious  of  the  exertions  he  was  making.  His  eyes  were 
fixed  in  front  of  him,  his  face  was  deadly  pale,  his  white  hair 
damp  with  perspiration.  Not  a  word  had  been  spoken  since 
the  start,  except  that,  towards  the  end  of  the  journey,  Hewlett 
had  glanced  at  his  watch  and  said  they  were  in  good  time  and 
could  take  it  easy.  His  companion  paid  no  attention,  but  kept 
on  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

When  the  coach  arrived  it  was  full,  but  the  doctor  cried  out, 
"  It  is  a  matter  of  life  and  death  ;  we  must  go  !  We  will  give 
five  ounces  apiece  to  any  one  who  will  give  us  up  their  places 
and  go  on  by  the  next  coach." 

Two  men  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  offer,  and  at  mid- 
night the  two  companions  arrived  at  Sacramento.  The  doctor's 
strength  had  given  way  when  the  necessity  for  exertion  was 
over,  and  he  had  collapsed. 

"  Perhaps  someone  has  got  a  flask  with  him  ?  "  Sim  Howlett 
suggested.  "  My  mate  and  I  have  just  heard  of  the  murder 
of  an  old  chum  of  ours  at  Sacramento,  and  we  are  on  our  way 
down  to  find  out  who  did  it  and  to  wipe  him  out.  We  have 
had  a  hard  push  for  it,  and,  as  you  see,  it  has  been  too  much 
for  my  mate,  who  is  not  over  strong." 

Half  a  dozen  bottles  were  instantly  produced,  and  some 
whiskey  poured  down  the  doctor's  throat.  It  was  not  long 
before  he  opened  his  eyes,  but  remained  for  some  time  leaning 
upon  Sim  Hewlett's  shoulder. 

"Take  it  easy,  doctor,  take  it  easy,"  the  latter  said  as  he 


THE   SEARCH   BEGUN.  47 

felt  the  doctor  straightening  himself  up.  "  You  have  got  to 
save  yourself.  You  know  we  may  have  a  long  job  before  us." 

There  was  nothing  to  do  when  they  entered  the  town  but 
to  find  a  lodging  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  they  com- 
menced their  search.  It  was  easy  to  find  the  under-sheriff  who 
had  conducted  the  inquest.  He  had  but  little  to  tell.  The 
body  had  been  found  as  they  had  already  heard.  There  were 
no  signs  of  a  struggle.  The  pockets  were  all  turned  inside  out. 
The  sheriff  supposed  that  the  man  had  probably  been  in  a 
gambling-house,  had  won  money  there,  and  had  been  followed 
and  murdered.  Their  first  care  was  to  find  where  Will  Tun- 
stall  was  buried,  and  then  to  order  a  stone  to  be  erected  at  his 
head.  Then  they  spent  a  week  visiting  every  gambling-den 
in  Sacramento,  but  nowhere  could  they  find  that  anyone  at  all 
answering  to  their  mate's  description  had  been  gambling  there 
on  the  night  before  he  was  killed. 

They  then  found  the  hotel  where  he  had  put  up  on  the 
arrival  of  the  coach.  He  had  gone  out  after  breakfast  and 
had  returned  alone  to  dinner,  and  had  then  gone  out  again. 
He  had  not  returned ;  it  was  supposed  that  he  had  gone  away 
suddenly,  and  as  the  value  of  the  clothes  he  had  left  behind 
was  sufficient  to  cover  his  bill,  no  inquiries  had  been  made. 
At  the  bank  they  learned  that  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon 
he  had  drawn  his  portion  of  the  joint  fund  on  the  order  signed 
by  them  all.  At  another  hotel  they  learned  that  a  man  certainly 
answering  to  his  description  had  come  in  one  evening  a  week 
or  so  before  with  a  gentleman  staying  at  the  house.  They  did 
not  know  who  the  gentleman  was ;  he  was  a  stranger,  but  he 
was  well  dressed,  and  they  thought  he  must  have  come  from 
Frisco.  He  had  left  the  next  day.  They  had  not  noticed  him 
particularly  *_mt  he  was  tall  and  dark,  and  so  was  the  man  who 
came  in  with  him.  The  latter  was  in  regular  miner's  dress. 
They  had  not  sat  in  the  saloon,  but  had  gone  up  to  the  stran- 
ger's bed-room,  and  a  bottle  of  spirits  had  been  taken  up  there. 
They  did  not  notice  what  time  the  miner  left,  or  whether  the 
other  went  out  with  him.  The  house  was  full,  and  they  did 


48  A   CLUE. 

not  bother  themselves  as  to  who  went  in  or  out.  It  was  from 
a  German  waiter  they  learned  all  this,  after  having  made 
inquiries  in  vain  two  or  three  times  previously  at  this  hotel. 

As  soon  as  they  left  the  place  the  doctor  seized  Sim's  arm. 
"We  have  got  a  clew  at  last,  Sim." 

"  Not  much  of  a  clue,  doctor ;  still  there  is  something  to  go 
upon.  We  have  got  to  hunt  out  this  man." 

"  Do  you  mind  going  back  to  the  camp  to-night,  Sim  ?  " 

"  No,  I  don't  mind ;  but  what  for,  doctor?  " 

"  You  go  and  see  whether  Symonds  is  still  there,  and  if  not, 
find  out  what  day  and  hour  he  left" 

"Good  heavens  I  you  don't  suspect  him?" 

"I  feel  sure,  Sim,  just  as  sure  as  if  I  had  seen  it.  The 
description  fits  him  exactly.  Who  else  could  Bill  have  known 
dressed  like  a  gentleman  that  he  would  have  gone  up  to 
drink  with  when  he  had  ^250  about  him.  You  know  he  had 
got  rather  thick  with  that  villain  before  he  left  the  camp,  and 
likely  enough  the  fellow  may  have  got  out  of  him  that  he  was 
going  to  draw  his  money  from  the  bank,  and  thought  that  it 
was  a  good  bit  more  than  it  was.  At  any  rate  go  and  see." 

Two  days  later  Sim  Hewlett  returned  with  the  news  that 
Symonds  had  left  two  or  three  hours  after  Tunstall  had  done 
so.  He  had  said  that  he  had  a  letter  that  rendered  it  necessary 
that  he  should  go  to  Frisco,  and  had  hired  a  vehicle,  driven  to 
Alta,  and  caught  the  coach  there.  He  had  not  returned  to 
the  camp. 

"  That  settles  it,  Sim.  When  I  find  Symonds  the  gambler, 
I  find  the  murderer  of  Bill  Tunstall.  I  have  been  thinking  it 
over.  It  may  be  months  before  I  catch  him.  He  may  have 
gone  east  into  Colorado  or  south  into  Mexico,  but  I  am  going 
to  find  him  and  kill  him.  I  don't  think  it  is  any  use  for  us 
both  to  hunt ;  it  may  take  months  and  years." 

"Perhaps  he  thinks  he  is  safe,  and  hasn't  gone  far.  He 
may  think  that  poor  Bill  will  be  picked  up  and  buried,  and 
that  no  one  will  be  any  the  wiser.  We  would  have  thought 
that  he  had  gone  off  to  England ;  and  so  it  would  have  been  if 


49 

Dick  hadn't  happened  to  come  along  and  turn  off  to  look  at 
the  body.  Like  enough  he  will  turn  up  at  Cedar  Gulch  again." 

"  He  may,"  the  doctor  said  thoughtfully,  "  and  that  is  the 
more  reason  why  you  should  stop  about  here.  You  would 
hear  of  his  coming  back  to  any  of  the  mining  camps  on  the 
slopes.  But  I  don't  think  he  will.  He  will  feel  safe,  and  yet 
he  won't  feel  quite  safe.  Besides,  you  know,  I  dreamt  that  I 
should  kill  him.  However,  if  he  does  come  back  anywhere  here 
I  leave  him  to  you,  Sim.  Shoot  him  at  sight  as  if  he  were  a 
mad  dog.  You  don't  want  any  fair  play  with  a  fellow  like 
that.  When  you  tell  the  boys  the  story  they  will  all  say  you 
did  right.  I  will  write  to  you  from  time  to  time  to  let  you 
know  where  I  am.  If  you  have  killed  him  let  me  know.  I 
shall  come  back  to  you  as  soon  as  I  have  found  him." 

And  so  it  was  settled  ;  for,  eager  as  Sim  Hewlett  was  for  ven- 
geance, he  did  not  care  for  the  thought  of  years  spent  in  a  vain 
search,  and  believed  that  his  chance  of  meeting  Symonds  again 
was  as  good  among  the  mining  camps  as  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  WANDERER'S  RETURN. 

HAD  the  circumstances  of  William  Tunstall's  leaving  his 
home  been  more  recent,  or  had  the  son  of  Edgar  Tun- 
stall  been  older,  the  news  that  William  Tunstall  had  returned 
and  had  taken  up  his  residence  at  Byrneside  as  master  of  the 
portion  of  the  estate  left  him  by  his  brother,  and  as  guardian 
to  the  young  heir  to  the  remainder,  would  have  caused  a  good 
deal  of  interest  and  excitement  in  the  county.  The  twenty 
years,  however,  that  had  elapsed  since  Will  Tunstall  had  left 
home,  and  the  fact  that  when  he  went  away  he  was  but  a  lad  quite 
unknown  personally  to  his  father's  acquaintances,  deprived  the 
matter  of  any  personal  interest.  It  had  generally  been  thought 
that  it  was  hard  that  he  should  have  been  entirely  cut  out  of 
his  father's  will,  and  the  clause  forbidding  his  brother  to  make 
any  division  of  the  property  was  considered  particularly  so, 
especially  as  it  was  known  that  Edgar  was  attached  to  his 
brother,  and  would  have  gladly  shared  the  property  with  him. 

But  William  had  been  away  twenty  years,  and  no  one  had 
a  personal  interest  in  him.  Ten  years  had  elapsed  since  he 
had  been  finally  disinherited  by  his  father's  will.  Beyond  a 
feeling  of  satisfaction  that  justice  had  been  done,  and  that 
there  would  not  be  a  long  minority  at  Byrneside,  the  news 
that  the  eldest  son  had  returned  created  no  excitement. 

Messrs.  Randolph  &  Son  of  Carlisle,  who  were  business 
agents  for  half  the  estates  in  the  county,  reported  well  of  the 
new-comer.  They  had  never  seen  him  as  a  boy,  but  they  ex- 
pressed themselves  as  agreeably  surprised  that  the  long  period 


A   GOOD   IMPRESSION.  51 

he  had  passed  knocking  about  among  rough  people  in  the  States 
had  in  no  way  affected  him  unfavourably.  His  manners  were 
particularly  good,  his  appearance  was  altogether  in  his  favour, 
he  was  a  true  Cumberland  man,  tall  and  powerful  like  his 
father  and  brother,  though  somewhat  slighter  in  build. 

He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife.  Yes,  they  had  seen  her. 
They  had  both  dined  with  them.  They  had  not  been  previously 
aware  that  Mr.  Tunstall  was  married.  Their  client,  Mr.  Edgar 
Tunstall,  had  not  mentioned  the  fact  to  them.  They  were  not 
prepared  to  give  any  decided  opinion  as  to  Mrs.  Tunstall.  She 
had  spoken  but  little,  and  struck  them  as  being  nervous ;  pro- 
bably the  position  was  a  novel  one  for  her.  There  were,  they 
understood,  no  children. 

Messrs.  Randolph,  father  and  son,  old-fashioned  practition- 
ers, had  from  the  first  considered  the  scruples  of  their  agents 
in  San  Francisco  to  be  absurd.  Mr.  Tunstall  had  presented 
himself  as  soon  as  they  had  advertised.  He  had  produced  the 
letters  of  his  brother  as  proof  of  his  identity,  and  had  offered 
to  bring  forward  witnesses  who  had  known  him  for  years  as 
William  Tunstall.  What  on  earth  would  they  have  had  more 
than  that?  Mr.  Tunstall  had  had  reason  already  for  resent- 
ment, and  it  was  not  surprising  that  he  had  refused  to  set 
out  at  once  for  England  when  he  found  his  identity  so  absurdly 
questioned.  So  they  had  immediately  sent  off  the  abstract 
of  the  will  and  a  copy  of  Edgar  TunstalPs  letter,  and  were 
much  gratified  when  in  due  time  Mr.  Tunstall  had  presented 
himself  at  their  office,  and  had  personally  announced  his 
arrival. 

It  was  indeed  a  relief  to  them ;  for,  had  he  not  arrived, 
various  difficulties  would  have  arisen  as  to  his  moiety  of  the 
estate,  there  being  no  provision  in  the  will  as  to  what  was  to 
be  done  should  he  refuse  to  accept  it.  Moreover,  application 
must  have  been  made  to  the  court  for  the  appointment  of  fresh 
guardians  for  the  boy.  Altogether  they  were  glad  that  a 
business  that  might  have  been  troublesome  was  satisfactorily 
settled.  Mr.  Tunstall,  after  introducing  himself,  had  produced 


52  THE    CLAIMANT. 

the  letters  he  had  received  from  his  brother,  with  the  abstract 
of  the  will  and  copy  of  the  letter  they  had  sent  him. 

He  had  said  smilingly,  "  I  don't  know  whether  this  is  suf- 
ficient, gentlemen,  for  I  am  not  up  in  English  law.  If  it  is 
necessary  I  can,  of  course,  get  a  dozen  witnesses  from  the 
States  to  prove  that  I  have  been  always  known  as  William 
Tunstall;  though  I  generally  passed,  as  is  the  custom  there, 
under  a  variety  of  nicknames,  such  as  English  Bill,  Stiff  Bill, 
and  a  whole  lot  of  others.  It  will  naturally  take  some  little 
time  and  great  expense  to  get  witnesses  over,  especially  as 
men  are  earning  pretty  high  wages  in  California  at  present ; 
but,  of  course,  it  can  be  managed  if  necessary." 

"  I  do  not  see  that  there  is  any  necessity  for  it,"  Mr.  Ran- 
dolph said.  "  Besides,  no  doubt  we  shall  find  plenty  of  people 
here  to  identify  you." 

"I  don't  know  that,  Mr.  Randolph.  You  see  I  was  little 
more  than  a  boy  when  I  went  away.  I  had  been  at  Rugby  for 
years,  and  often  did  not  come  home  for  the  holidays.  Twenty 
years  have  completely  changed  me  in  appearance,  and  I  own 
that  I  have  but  a  very  faint  recollection  of  Byrneside.  Of 
course  I  remember  the  house  itself,  and  the  stables  and  grounds  ; 
but  as  to  the  neighbours,  I  don't  recollect  any  of  them.  Neither 
my  brother  nor  myself  dined  in  the  parlour  when  my  father  had 
dinner  parties  ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that,  after  all,  the  best  proof 
of  my  identity  is  my  correspondence  with  my  brother.  Cer- 
tainly, he  would  not  have  been  deceived  by  any  stranger,  and 
the  fact  that  we  exchanged  letters  occasionally  for  some  years 
seems  to  me  definite  proof  that  he  recognized  me  as  his 
brother." 

"Undoubtedly  so,"  Mr.  Randolph  said.  "That  in  itself  is 
the  strongest  proof  that  can  be  brought.  We  mentioned  that 
in  our  letter  to  Mr.  Campbell  in  San  Francisco.  His  doubts 
appeared  to  us,  I  may  say,  to  be  absurd." 

"  Not  altogether  absurd,  Mr.  Randolph.  California  has  been 
turned  pretty  well  topsy-turvy  during  the  last  four  or  five 
years,  and  he  was  not  to  be  blamed  for  being  suspicious.  May 


"NOT  THE   LEAST   OCCASION."  53 

I  ask  you  if  you  have  come  across  my  letters  to  my  brother 
among  his  papers  ?  " 

"  No,  we  have  not  done  so.  In  fact,  your  brother  told  us 
that  he  had  not  preserved  them,  for  as  you  were  wandering 
about  constantly  the  addresses  you  gave  were  no  benefit,  and 
that  beyond  the  fact  that  you  were  in  California  he  had  no 
idea  where  you  could  be  found.  That  is  why  it  became  neces- 
sary to  advertise  for  you." 

"  It  is  unfortunate  that  he  did  not  keep  them,  Mr.  Randolph, 
for  in  that  case,  of  course,  I  could  have  told  you  most  of  their 
contents,  and  that  would  have  been  an  additional  proof  of  my 
identity." 

"  There  is  not  the  least  occasion  for  it,  Mr.  Tunstall.  We 
are  perfectly  and  entirely  satisfied.  Mr.  Edgar's  recognition 
of  you  as  his  brother,  your  possession  of  his  letters,  the  fact 
that  you  answered  at  once  to  the  advertisement  in  California, 
your  knowledge  of  your  early  life  at  Rugby,  and  so  on,  all  tend 
to  one  plain  conclusion ;  in  fact,  no  shadow  of  doubt  was 
entertained  by  my  son  or  myself  from  the  first.  I  congratu- 
late you  very  heartily  on  your  return,  because  to  some  extent 
the  very  hard  treatment  which  was  dealt  to  you  by  your 
father,  Mr.  Philip  Tunstall,  has  now  been  atoned  for.  Of 
course  you  only  received  a  short  abstract  of  your  brother's 
will ;  the  various  properties  which  fall  to  you  are  detailed  in 
full  in  it.  Byrneside  itself  goes  to  his  son ;  but  against  that 
may  be  set  off  a  sum  invested  in  good  securities,  and  equal  to 
the  value  of  the  house  and  home  park,  so  that  you  can  either 
build  or  purchase  a  mansion  as  good  as  Byrneside.  We  may 
tell  you  also  that  the  estates  were  added  to  in  your  father's 
time,  and  that  other  properties  have  been  bought  by  your 
brother,  who,  owing  to  the  death  of  his  wife  and  the  state  of 
his  health,  has  for  some  years  led  a  very  secluded  life,  invest- 
ing the  greater  part  of  his  savings  in  land.  So  that,  in  fact, 
your  moiety  of  the  estates  will  be  quite  as  large  as  the  elde> 
son's  portion  you  might  have  expected  to  receive  in  the  ordi- 
nary course  of  events." 


54  UNCLE  AND  NEPHEW. 

"  What  sort  of  boy  is  my  nephew,  Mr.  Randolph  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  him  two  or  three  times  when  I  have  been  ovel 
at  Byrneside.  Of  course  I  did  not  notice  him  particularly, 
but  he  is  a  bright  lad,  and  promises  to  grow  into  a  very 
fine  young  man.  I  fancy  from  something  his  father  let  drop 
that  his  disposition  resembles  yours.  He  is  very  fond  of  out- 
door exercises,  knows  every  foot  of  the  hills  round  Byrneside, 
and  though  but  eleven  or  twelve  years  old  he  is  perfectly  at 
home  on  horseback,  and  he  is  a  good  shot.  He  has,  in  fact, 
run  a  little  wild.  His  father  spoke  of  him  as  being  warm- 
hearted and  of  excellent  impulses,  but  lamented  that,  like  you, 
he  was  somewhat  quick-tempered  and  headstrong." 

"Edgar  ought  not  to  have  selected  me  for  his  guardian, 
Mr.  Randolph." 

"  I  said  almost  as  much,  Mr.  Tunstall,  when  I  drew  out  the 
will ;  but  Mr.  Edgar  remarked  that  you  had  doubtless  got  over 
all  that  long  ago,  and  would  be  able  to  make  more  allowance 
for  him  and  to  manage  him  far  better  than  anyone  else  could 
do." 

"  I  shall  try  and  merit  Edgar's  confidence,  Mr.  Randolph. 
I  have  suffered  enough  from  my  headstrong  temper,  and  have 
certainly  learnt  to  control  it.  I  shall  not  be  hard  upon  him, 
never  fear." 

"Are  you  going  over  to  Byrneside  at  once,  Mr.  Tunstall?" 

"  No ;  I  shall  go  up  to  London  to-morrow  morning.  I  want 
a  regular  outfit  before  I  present  myself  there  for  inspection. 
Besides,  I  would  rather  that  you  should  give  notice  to  them  at 
Byrneside  that  I  have  returned.  It  is  unpleasant  to  arrive 
at  a  place  unannounced,  and  to  have  to  explain  who  you 
are." 

"Perhaps  you  would  like  to  see  the  will,  and  go  through 
the  schedule?" 

"  Not  at  all,  Mr.  Randolph.  There  will  be  plenty  of  time 
for  that  after  my  return." 

"  You  will  excuse  my  asking  if  you  want  any  money  for  pre- 
sent use,  Mr.  Tunstall?" 


MRS.   TUNSTALL.  55 

"  No,  thank  you ;  I  am  amply  provided.  I  was  doing  very 
well  at  the  diggings  when  your  letters  called  me  away,  and 
I  have  plenty  of  cash  for  present  purposes." 

"  You  will,  I  hope,  dine  with  us  to-day,  Mr.  Tunstall." 

"  I  thank  you.  I  should  have  been  very  happy,  but  I  have 
my  wite  with  me.  I  have  left  her  at  the  '  Bull.'  " 

"  Oh,  indeed  !     I  was  not  aware — " 

"  That  I  was  married  ?  Yes,  I  have  been  married  for  some 
years.  I  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  mention  it  to  Edgar,  as 
he  would  only  have  used  it  as  an  additional  argument  why  I 
should  accept  his  generous  offers." 

"  We  shall  be  very  glad,  Mrs.  Randolph  and  myself,  if  you 
will  bring  Mrs.  Tunstall  with  you." 

And  so  Mrs.  Tunstall  came.  She  was  a  dark  woman,  and, 
as  Mr.  Randolph  and  his  wife  agreed,  was  probably  of  Mexican 
or  Spanish  blood,  and  spoke  English  with  a  strange  accent. 
She  had  evidently  at  one  time  been  strikingly  pretty,  though 
now  faded.  She  had  rather  a  worn,  hard  expression  on  her 
face,  and  impressed  Mr.  Randolph,  his  wife,  son,  and  daughter- 
in-law  less  favourably  than  the  lawyer  had  thought  it  right  to 
say  to  those  who  made  inquiries  about  her ;  but  she  had,  as 
they  said,  spoken  but  little,  and  had  seemed  somewhat  nervous 
and  ill  at  ease. 

Mr.  Tunstall  did  not  appear  for  some  time  at  Byrneside.  He 
went  down  to  Rugby  to  see  his  nephew,  who  had,  in  accor- 
dance with  his  father's  wish,  been  placed  there  a  month  or  two 
after  his  death.  The  holidays  were  to  begin  a  week  later, 
and  Hugh  was  delighted  when  his  uncle  told  him  that  he  and 
his  aunt  were  thinking  of  going  to  the  Continent  for  a  few 
months  before  settling  down  at  Byrneside,  and  would  take  him 
with  them. 

Hugh  was  very  much  pleased  with  his  new  relative.  "He  is 
a  splendid  fellow,"  he  told  his  school-boy  friends.  "Awful  jolly 
to  talk  to,  and  has  been  doing  all  sorts  of  things — fighting 
Indians,  and  hunting  buffalo,  and  working  in  the  gold  dig- 
gings. Of  course  he  didn't  tell  me  much  about  them;  there 


56  BACK  TO    BYRNESIDE. 

wasn't  time  for  that.  He  tipped  me  a  couple  of  sovs.  I  am 
sure  we  shall  get  on  first-rate  together."  And  so  during  the 
summer  holidays  Hugh  travelled  with  his  uncle  and  aunt  in 
Switzerland  and  Italy.  He  did  not  very  much  like  his  aunt. 
She  seemed  to  try  to  be  kind  to  him,  and  yet  he  thought  she 
did  not  like  him.  His  uncle  had  taken  him  about  everywhere, 
and  had  told  him  lots  of  splendid  yarns. 

At  Christmas  they  would  be  all  together  at  Byrneside.  His 
uncle  had  been  very  much  interested  in  the  place,  and  was  never 
tired  of  his  talk  about  his  rambles  there.  He  remembered  the 
pool  where  his  father  had  told  him  they  both  used  to  fish  as 
boys,  and  about  Harry  Gowan  the  fisherman  who  used  to  go  out 
in  his  boat,  and  who  was  with  them  when  that  storm  suddenly 
broke  when  the  boat  was  wrecked  on  the  island  and  they  were 
all  nearly  drowned.  He  was  very  glad  to  hear  that  Gowan  was 
still  alive ;  and  that  James  Wilson,  who  was  then  under  stable- 
man and  used  to  look  after  their  ponies,  was  now  coachman ; 
and  that  Sam,  the  gardener's  boy  who  used  to  show  them 
where  the  birds'  nests  were,  was  now  head-gardener ;  and  that 
Mr.  Holbeach  the  vicar  was  still  alive,  and  so  was  his  sister  Miss 
Elizabeth ;  and  that,  in  fact,  he  remembered  quite  well  all  the 
people  who  had  been  there  when  he  was  a  boy.  Altogether 
it  had  been  r.  glorious  holiday. 

His  uncle  and  aunt  returned  with  him  when  it  was  over, 
the  former  saying  he  had  had  enough  of  travelling  for  the 
present,  and  instead  of  being  away,  as  he  had  intended,  for  an- 
other couple  of  months  he  should  go  down  home  at  once.  They 
went  with  him  as  far  as  Rugby,  dropped  him  there,  and 
then  journeyed  north.  On  their  arrival  at  Byrneside,  where 
they  had  not  been  expected,  Mr.  Tunstall  soon  made  himself 
extremely  popular,  Scarcely  had  they  entered  the  house  when 
he  sent  out  for  James  the  coachman,  and  greeted  him  with 
the  greatest  heartiness. 

"I  should  not  have  known  you,  James,"  he  said,  "and  I 
don't  suppose  you  would  have  known  me?  " 

"  No,  sir ;  I  cannot  say  as  I  should.     You  were  only  a  slip 


OLD  ACQUAINTANCES.  57 

of  a  lad  then,  though  you  didn't  think  yourself  so.  No,  I 
should  not  have  known  you  a  bit." 

"  Twenty  years  makes  a  lot  of  difference,  Jim.  Ah,  we  had 
good  fun  in  those  days  !  Don't  you  remember  that  day's  ratting 
we  had  when  the  big  stack  was  pulled  down,  and  how  one  of 
them  bit  you  in  the  ear,  and  how  you  holloaed  ?  " 

"  I  remember  that,  sir.  Mr.  Edgar  has  often  laughed  with 
me  about  it." 

"  And  you  remember  how  my  poor  brother  and  I  dressed  up 
in  sheets  once,  and  nearly  scared  you  out  of  your  life,  Jim?" 

"  Ay,  ay ;  I  mind  that  too,  sir.  That  wasn't  a  fair  joke,  that 
wasn't." 

"  No,  that  wasn't  fair,  Jim.  Ah  !  well,  I  am  past  such  pranks 
now.  Well,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  again  after  all  these 
years,  and  to  find  you  well.  I  hear  that  Sam  is  still  about  the 
old  place,  and  is  now  head-gardener.  You  may  as  well  come 
out  and  help  me  find  him  while  Mrs.  Tunstall  is  taking  off  her 
things." 

Sam  was  soon  found,  and  was  as  delighted  as  James  at 
Mr.  Tunstall's  recollection  of  some  of  their  bird-nesting  ex- 
ploits. After  a  long  chat  with  him,  Mr.  Tunstall  returned  to 
the  house,  where  a  meal  was  already  prepared. 

"  You  need  not  wait,"  he  said,  after  the  butler  had  handed 
the  dishes.  "  I  have  not  been  accustomed  to  have  a  man-ser- 
vant behind  my  chair  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  can  do 
without  it  now." 

He  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork  with  an  air  of  relief  as  the 
door  closed  behind  the  servant. 

"  Well,  Lola,"  he  said  in  Spanish,  "  everything  has  gone  off 
well." 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  I  suppose  it  has,"  in  the  same  language. 
"  It  is  all  very  oppressive.  I  wish  we  were  back  in  California 
again." 

"  You  used  to  be  always  grumbling  there,"  he  said  savagely. 
"  I  was  always  away  from  you,  and  altogether  you  were  the 
most  ill-used  woman  in  the  world.  Now  you  have  got  every- 


58        "ANYTHING  CAN  BE  MANAGED  IN  THIS  COUNTRY." 

Ehing  a  woman  could  want.  A  grand  house,  and  carriages, 
and  horses ;  the  garden  and  park.  What  can  you  want  more  ?  " 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders.  "  I  shall  get  accustomed  to  it 
in  time,"  she  said,  "  but  so  far  I  do  not  like  it.  It  is  all  stiff 
and  cold.  I  would  rather  have  a  little  hacienda  down  on  the 
Del  Norte,  with  a  hammock  to  swing  in,  and  a  cigarette  be- 
tween my  lips,  and  a  horse  to  take  a  scamper  on  if  I  am  dis- 
posed, and  you  with  me,  than  live  in  this  dreary  palace." 

"  Baby  !  you  will  get  accustomed  to  it  in  time,  and  you  can 
have  a  hammock  here  if  you  like,  though  it  is  not  often  that 
it  is  warm  enough  to  use  it.  And  you  can  smoke  cigarettes 
all  day.  It  would  shock  them  if  you  were  an  Englishwoman, 
but  in  a  Mexican  they  will  think  it  right  and  proper  enough. 
And  you  have  got  your  guitar  with  you,  so  you  can  have  most 
of  your  pleasures ;  and  as  for  the  heat,  there  is  sure  to  be  some 
big  glass  houses  where  they  grow  fruit  and  flowers,  and  you 
can  have  one  of  them  fitted  up  with  Mexican  plants,  and  hang 
your  hammock  there ;  and  it  won't  need  a  very  long  stretch 
of  imagination  to  fancy  that  you  are  at  your  hacienda  on  the 
Del  Norte." 

"  If  you  can  manage  that  it  will  be  nice,"  the  woman  said. 

"Anything  can  be  managed  in  this  country  when  we  have 
got  money  to  pay  for  it." 

"  At  any  rate  it  will  be  a  comfort  to  know  that  there  is  no 
fear  of  your  being  shot  here.  Every  time  you  went  away  from 
me,  if  it  was  only  for  a  week  or  two,  I  knew  I  might  never  see 
you  again,  and  that  you  might  get  shot  by  some  of  those 
drunken  miners.  Well,  I  shall  be  free  of  all  that  now,  and  I  own 
that  I  was  wrong  to  grumble.  I  shall  be  happy  here  with  you, 
and  I  see  that  it  was  indeed  fortunate  that  you  found  those 
papers  on  the  body  of  the  man  you  came  across  dead  in  the 
woods." 

She  looked  closely  at  him  as  she  spoke. 

"Well,  that  is  a  subject  that  there  is  no  use  talking  about, 
Lola.  It  was  a  slice  of  luck ;  but  there  is  an  English  proverb, 
that  walls  have  ears,  and  it  is  much  better  that  you  should  try 


"DROP  IT,  LOLA."  59 

and  forget  the  past.  Remember  only  that  I  am  William 
Tunstall,  who  has  come  back  here  after  being  away  twenty 
years." 

She  nodded.  "  I  shall  not  forget  it.  You  know,  you  always 
said  I  was  a  splendid  actress,  and  many  a  fool  with  more 
dollars  than  wit  have  I  lured  on,  and  got  to  play  with  you  in 
the  old  days  at  Santa  Pe"." 

"  There,  there,  drop  it,  Lola,"  he  said ;  "  the  less  we  have  of 
old  memories  the  better.  Now  we  will  have  the  servants  in, 
or  they  will  begin  to  think  we  have  gone  to  sleep  over  our 
meal."  And  he  struck  the  bell  which  the  butler,  when  he  went 
out,  had  placed  on  the  table  beside  him. 

"  Have  you  been  over  the  house?  "  he  asked  when  they  were 
alone  again. 

"  Not  over  it  all.  The  old  woman — she  called  herself  the 
housekeeper — showed  me  a  great  room  which  she  said  was  the 
drawing-room,  and  a  pretty  little  room  which  had  been  her 
mistress's  boudoir,  and  another  room  full  of  books,  and  a 
gallery  with  a  lot  of  ugly  pictures  in  it,  and  the  bed-room 
that  is  to  be  ours,  and  a  lot  of  others  opening  out  of  it." 

"  Well,  I  will  go  over  them  now  with  you,  Lola.  Of  course 
I  am  supposed  to  know  them  all.  Ah  !  this  is  the  boudoir. 
Well,  I  am  sure  you  can  be  comfortable  here,  Lola.  Those 
chairs  are  as  soft  and  easy  as  a  hammock.  This  will  be  your 
sanctum,  and  you  can  lounge  and  smoke,  and  play  your  guitar 
to  your  heart's  content.  Yes,  this  is  a  fine  drawing-room,  but 
it  is  a  deal  too  large  for  two  of  us ;  though  in  summer,  with 
the  windows  all  open,  I  daresay  it  is  pleasant  enough."  Hav- 
ing made  a  tour  of  the  rooms  that  had  been  shown  Lola,  they 
came  down  to  the  hall  again. 

"Now  let  us  stroll  out  into  the  garden,"  he  said.  "You 
will  like  that."  He  lit  a  cigar,  and  Lola  a  cigarette.  The 
latter  was  unfeignedly  delighted  with  the  masses  of  flowers 
and  the  beautifully  kept  lawns,  and  the  views  from  the  terrace, 
with  a  stretch  of  fair  country,  and  the  sea  sparkling  in  the 
sunshine  two  miles  away. 


60  AN   ENGLISH   GARDEN. 

"  Here  comes  the  head-gardener,  Lola,  my  old  friend.  This 
is  Sam,  Lola,"  he  said,  as  the  gardener  came  up  and  touched 
his  hat.  "  You  know  you  have  heard  me  speak  of  him.  My 
wife  is  delighted  with  the  garden,  Sam.  She  has  never  seen 
an  English  garden  before." 

"  It  is  past  its  best  now,  sir.  You  should  have  seen  it  two 
months  ago." 

"  I  don't  think  it  could  be  more  beautiful,"  Lola  said  ;  "  there 
is  nothing  like  this  in  my  country.  We  have  gardens  with 
many  flowers,  but  not  grass  like  this,  so  smooth  and  so  level. 
Does  it  grow  no  higher?  " 

"  Oh,  it  grows  fast  enough,  and  a  good  deal  too  fast  to 
please  us,  and  has  to  be  cut  twice  a  week." 

"I  see  you  are  looking  surprised  at  my  wife  smoking," 
William  Tunstall  said  with  a  smile.  "  In  her  country  all 
ladies  smoke.  Show  her  the  green-houses ;  I  think  they  will 
surprise  her  even  more  than  the  garden." 

The  long  ranges  of  green -houses  were  visited,  and  Sam 
was  gratified  at  his  new  mistress's  delight  at  the  flowers,  many 
of  which  she  recognized,  and  still  more  at  the  fruit — the 
grapes  covering  the  roofs  with  black  and  yellow  bunches ;  the 
peaches  and  nectarines  nestling  against  the  walls. 

"The  early  sorts  are  all  over,"  Sam  said;  "but  I  made 
a  shift  to  keep  these  back,  though  I  did  not  think  there  was 
much  chance  of  any  but  the  grapes  being  here  when  you  got 
back,  as  we  heard  that  you  would  not  be  home  much  before 
Christmas." 

"  We  changed  our  mind,  you  see,  Sam,  and  I  am  glad  we 
did,  for  if  we  had  come  then,  Mrs.  Tunstall  would  have  been 
frightened  at  the  cold  and  bleakness.  I'll  tell  you  what  I  want 
done,  Sam.  I  want  this  conservatory  next  the  house  filled 
as  much  as  possible  with  Mexican  and  South  American  plants. 
Of  course,  you  can  put  palms  and  other  things  that  will  stand 
heat  along  with  them.  I  want  the  stages  cleared  away,  and 
the  place  made  to  look  as  much  like  a  room  as  possible.  Mrs, 
Tunstall  wiH  use  it  as  a  sitting-room." 


A   BIT   OF  MEXICO.  61 

"  I  think  we  shall  have  to  put  another  row  of  pipes  in,  Mr. 
William.  Those  plants  will  want  more  heat  than  we  have  got 
here." 

"  Then  we  must  put  them  in.  My  wife  will  not  care  how 
hot  it  is,  but  of  course  we  don't  want  tropical  heat.  I  should 
put  some  rockery  down  the  side  here  to  hide  the  pipes,  and  in  the 
centre  we  will  have  a  fountain  with  water  plants,  a  foot  or  two 
below  the  level  of  the  floor,  and  a  low  bank  of  ferns  round. 
That  is  the  only  change,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  that  we  shall  want 
in  the  house.  I  shall  be  going  over  to  Carlisle  in  a  day  or 
two,  and  I'll  arrange  with  somebody  there  to  make  the  altera- 
tions." 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  William,  if  you  will  get  some  masons  to  do 
the  rockery  and  fountain,  I  can  answer  for  the  rest;  but  I 
think  I  shall  need  a  good  many  fresh  plants.  We  are  not 
very  strong  in  hot  subjects.  Mr.  Edgar  never  cared  for  them 
much." 

"  If  you  will  make  out  a  list  of  what  you  want,  and  tell  me 
who  is  the  best  man  to  send  to,  Sam,  I  will  order  them  as 
soon  as  you  are  ready  to  put  them  in." 

And  so,  when  Hugh  returned  at  Christmas  for  the  holidays, 
he  was  astonished  at  rinding  his  aunt  swinging  in  a  hammock, 
smoking  a  cigarette,  slung  near  a  sparkling  little  fountain,  and 
surrounded  by  semi-tropical  plants.  The  smoking  did  not 
surprise  him,  for  he  had  often  seen  her  with  a  cigarette  during 
their  trip  together ;  but  the  transformation  of  the  conservatory 
astonished  him. 

"Well,  Hugh,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  she  asked,  smiling 
at  his  surprise. 

"  It  is  beautiful !  "  he  said ;  "  it  isn't  like  a  green-house.  It 
is  just  like  a  bit  out  of  a  foreign  country." 

"  That  is  what  we  tried  to  make  it,  Hugh.  You  see,  on  the 
side  next  to  the  house  where  there  is  a  wall,  we  have  had  a 
Mexican  view  painted  with  a  blue  sky,  such  as  we  have  there, 
and  mountains,  and  a  village  at  the  foot  of  the  hills.  As  I  lie 
here  I  can  fancy  myself  back  again,  if  I  don't  look  up  at  the 


62  AN   ACQUISITION   TO   THE    COUNTY. 

sashes  overhead.  Oh,  how  I  wish  one  could  do  without  them, 
and  that  it  could  be  covered  with  one  great  sheet  of  glass  ! " 

"It  would  be  better,"  Hugh  admitted,  "but  it  is  stunning 
as  it  is.  Uncle  told  me,  as  he  drove  me  over  from  Carlisle, 
that  he  had  been  altering  the  conservatory,  and  making  it  a  sort 
of  sitting-room  for  you,  but  I  never  thought  that  it  would  be 
like  this.  What  are  those  plants  growing  on  the  rocks? " 

"  Those  are  American  aloes,  they  are  one  of  our  most  useful 
plants,  Hugh.  They  have  strong  fibres  which  we  use  for  string, 
and  they  make  a  drink  out  of  the  juice  fermented ;  it  is  called 
pulque,  and  is  our  national  drink,  though  of  late  years  people 
drink  spirits  too,  which  are  bad  for  them,  and  make  them 
quarrelsome." 

During  the  holidays  Hugh  got  over  his  former  dislike  for 
his  aunt,  and  came  to  like  her  more  than  his  uncle.  She  was 
always  kind  and  pleasant  with  him,  while  he  found  that, 
although  his  uncle  at  times  was  very  friendly,  his  temper  was 
uncertain.  The  want  of  some  regular  occupation,  and  the 
absence  of  anything  like  excitement,  told  heavily  upon  a  man 
accustomed  to  both.  At  first  there  was  the  interest  in  play- 
ing his  part :  of  meeting  people  who  had  known  him  in  his 
boyhood,  of  receiving  and  returning  the  visits  of  the  few 
resident  gentry  within  a  circuit  of  ten  miles,  of  avoiding 
mistakes  and  evading  dangers ;  but  all  this  was  so  easy  that 
he  soon  tired  of  it.  He  had  tried  to  make  Lola  contented,  and 
yet  her  lazy  contentment  with  her  surroundings  irritated  him. 

She  had  created  a  good  impression  upon  the  ladies  who  had 
called.  The  expression  of  her  face  had  softened  since  her 
first  visit  to  Carlisle,  and  the  nervous  expression  that  had 
struck  Mr.  Randolph  then  had  disappeared.  Her  slight  accent, 
and  the  foreign  style  of  her  dress,  were  interesting  novelties 
to  her  visitors,  and  after  the  first  dinner-party  given  in  their 
honour,  at  which  she  appeared  in  a  dress  of  dull  gold  with 
a  profusion  of  rich  black  lace,  she  was  pronounced  charming. 
Her  husband,  too,  was  considered  to  be  an  acquisition  to  the 
county.  Everyone  had  expected  that  he  would  have  returned, 


"  OH,   YES  !    I  AM   A  GOOD   SHOT."  63 

after  so  long  an  absence,  rough  and  unpolished,  whereas  his 
manners  were  quiet  and  courteous. 

He  was  perhaps  less  popular  among  the  sturdy  Cumberland 
squires  than  with  their  wives.  He  did  not  hunt ;  he  did  not 
shoot.  "  I  should  have  thought,"  one  of  his  neighbours  said  to 
him,  "  that  everyone  who  had  been  living  a  rough  life  in  the 
States  would  have  been  a  good  shot." 

"  A  good  many  of  us  are  good  shots,  perhaps  most  of  us,  but 
it  is  with  the  pistol  and  rifle.  Shot-guns  are  not  of  much  use 
when  you  have  a  party  of  Red-skins  yelling  and  shooting  round 
you,  and  it  is  not  a  handy  weapon  to  go  and  fetch  when  a  man 
draws  a  revolver  on  you.  As  to  shooting  little  birds,  it  may  be 
done  by  men  who  live  on  their  farms  and  like  an  occasional 
change  from  the  bacon  and  tinned  meat  that  they  live  on  from 
year's  end  to  year's  end.  Out  there  a  hunter  is  a  man  who 
shoots  game — I  mean  deer  and  buffalo  and  bear  and  other 
animals — for  the  sake  of  their  skins,  although,  of  course,  he 
does  use  the  meat  of  such  as  are  eatable.  With  us  a  good  shot 
means  a  man  who  can  put  a  ball  into  a  Red-skin's  body  at  five 
hundred  yards  certain,  and  who  with  a  pistol  can  knock  a 
pipe  out  of  a  man's  mouth  ten  yards  away,  twenty  times 
following ;  and  it  isn't  only  straightness  of  shooting,  but  quick- 
ness of  handling,  that  is  necessary.  A  man  has  to  draw,  and 
cock,  and  fire,  in  an  instant.  The  twinkling  of  an  eye  makes 
the  difference  of  life  or  death. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  am  a  good  shot,  but  not  in  your  way.  I  went 
away  from  here  too  young  to  get  to  care  about  tramping  over 
the  country  all  day  to  shoot  a  dozen  or  two  of  birds,  and  I  have 
never  been  in  the  way  of  learning  to  like  it  since.  I  wish  I 
had,  for  it  seems  an  important  part  of  country  life  here,  and 
I  know  I  shall  never  be  considered  as  a  credit  to  the  county 
unless  I  spend  half  my  time  in  winter  riding  after  foxes  or 
tramping  after  birds ;  but  I  am  afraid  I  am  too  old  now  ever 
to  take  to  those  sports.  I  heartily  wish  I  could,  for  I  find  it 
dull  having  no  pursuit.  When  a  man  has  been  earning  his 
living  by  hunting,  or  gold  digging,  or  prospecting  for  mines  all 


64  "I   AM  ACCUSTOMED   TO   BE  ALONE." 

his  life,  he  finds  it  hard  to  get  up  in  the  morning  and  know 
that  there  is  nothing  for  him  to  do  but  just  to  look  round 
the  garden  or  to  go  out  for  a  drive  merely  for  the  sake  of 
driving." 

When  summer  came  Mr.  Tunstall  found  some  amusements 
to  his  taste.  If  there  was  a  wrestling  match  anywhere  in  the 
county  or  in  Westmoreland  he  would  be  present,  and  he  became 
a  regular  attendant  at  all  the  race-courses  in  the  north  of  England. 
He  did  not  bet.  As  he  said  to  a  sporting  neighbour,  who 
always  had  a  ten-pound  note  on  the  principal  races,  "  I  like  to 
bet  when  the  chances  are  even,  or  when  I  can  match  my  skill 
against  another  man's ;  but  in  this  horse-racing  you  are  risking 
your  money  against  those  who  know  more  than  you  do.  Unless 
you  are  up  to  all  the  tricks  and  dodges,  you  have  no  more 
chance  of  winning  than  a  man  has  who  gambles  with  a  cheat 
who  plays  with  marked  cards.  I  like  to  go  because  it  is  an 
excitement ;  besides,  at  most  of  the  large  meetings  there  is  a 
little  gambling  in  the  evening.  In  Mexico  and  California 
everyone  gambles  more  or  less.  It  is  one  of  the  few  ways  of 
spending  money,  and  I  like  a  game  occasionally."  The  re- 
sult was  that  Mr.  Tunstall  was  seldom  at  home  during  the 
summer. 

When  Hugh  came  home  his  aunt  said  :  "  I  have  been  talking 
to  your  uncle  about  you,  and  he  does  not  care  about  going 
away  this  year.  He  has  taken  to  have  an  interest  in  horse- 
racing.  Of  course  it  is  a  dull  life  for  him  here  after  leading  an 
active  one  for  so  many  years,  and  I  am  very  glad  he  has  found 
something  to  interest  him." 

"  I  should  think  that  it  is  very  dull  for  you,  aunt." 

"  I  am  accustomed  to  be  alone,  Hugh.  In  countries  where 
every  man  has  to  earn  his  living,  women  cannot  expect  to 
have  their  husbands  always  with  them.  They  may  be  away 
a  month  at  a  time  up  in  the  mountains,  or  at  the  mines,  or 
hunting  in  the  plains.  I  am  quite  accustomed  to  that.  But  I 
was  going  to  talk  about  you.  I  should  like  a  change,  and  you 
and  I  will  go  away  where  we  like.  Not,  of  course,  to  travel 


A   QUIET  HOLIDAY.  65 

about  as  we  did  last  year,  but  to  any  seaside  place  you  would 
like  to  go  to.  We  need  not  stop  all  the  time  at  one,  but  can 
go  to  three  or  four  of  them.  I  have  been  getting  some  books 
about  them  lately,  and  I  think  it  would  be  most  pleasant  to  go 
down  to  Devonshire.  There  seem  to  be  lots  of  pretty  water- 
ing-places there,  and  the  climate  is  warmer  than  in  the  towns 
on  the  east  coast." 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much,  aunt ;  but  I  should  like  a  fort- 
night here  first,  if  you  don't  mind.  My  pony  wants  exercise 
terribly,  Jim  says.  He  has  been  out  at  grass  for  months  now ; 
besides,  I  shall  forget  how  to  ride  if  I  don't  have  some  practice." 

So  for  the  next  fortnight  Hugh  was  out  from  morning  until 
night  either  riding  or  sailing  with  Gowan,  and  then  he  went 
south  with  his  aunt  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  holidays  in  Devon- 
shire and  Cornwall.  He  had  a  delightful  time  of  it,  his  aunt 
allowing  him  to  do  just  as  he  liked  in  the  way  of  sailing  and 
going  out  excursions.  She  always  took  rooms  overlooking  the 
sea,  and  was  well  content  to  sit  all  day  at  the  open  window ; 
seldom  moving  until  towards  evening,  when  she  would  go  out 
for  a  stroll  with  Hugh.  Occasionally  she  would  take  long 
drives  with  him  in  a  pony-carriage  ;  but  she  seldom  proposed 
these  expeditions.  As  Hugh  several  times  met  with  school- 
fellows, and  always  struck  up  an  acquaintance  a  few  hours 
after  arriving  at  a  place  with  some  of  the  boatmen  and  fisher- 
men, he  never  found  it  dull.  At  first  he  was  disposed  to  pity 
his  aunt  and  to  urge  her  to  go  out  with  him ;  but  she  assured 
him  that  she  was  quite  contented  to  be  alone,  and  to  enjoy  the 
sight  of  the  sea  and  to  breathe  the  balmy  air. 

"  I  have  not  enjoyed  myself  so  much,  Hugh,"  she  said  when 
the  holidays  were  drawing  to  a  close,  "  since  I  was  a  girl." 

"  I  am  awfully  glad  of  that,  aunt.  I  have  enjoyed  myself 
tremendously;  but  it  always  seems  to  me  that  it  must  be  dull 
for  you." 

"  You  English  never  seem  to  be  happy  unless  you  are  exert- 
ing yourselves,  Hugh ;  but  that  is  not  our  idea  of  happiness. 
People  in  warm  climates  find  their  pleasure  in  sitting  still,  in 


66  QUITE  CONTENTED. 

going  out  after  the  heat  of  the  day  is  over  for  a  promenade^ 
and  in  listening  to  the  music,  just  as  we  have  been  doing  here. 
Besides  it  has  been  a  pleasure  to  me  to  see  that  you  have  been 
happy." 

When  the  summer  holidays  had  passed  away,  Hugh  returned 
to  Rugby,  and  Lola  went  back  to  Cumberland. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

AN   EXPLOSION. 

AT  Christmas  Hugh  found  that  things  were  not  so  pleasant 
at  home.  There  was  nothing  now  to  take  his  uncle  away 
from  Byrneside,  and  the  dullness  of  the  place  told  upon  him. 
His  outbursts  of  ill-temper  were  therefore  more  frequent  than 
they  had  been  the  last  holidays  Hugh  had  spent  at  home.  He 
sat  much  longer  in  the  dining-room  over  his  wine,  after  his  wife 
and  Hugh  had  left  him,  than  he  did  before,  and  was  sometimes 
moody,  sometimes  bad-tempered  when  he  joined  them.  Hugh's 
own  temper  occasionally  broke  out  at  this,  and  there  were 
several  quarrels  between  him  and  his  uncle ;  but  there  was  a 
savage  fierceness  in  the  latter 's  manner  that  cowed  the  boy, 
and  whatever  he  felt  he  learned  to  hold  his  tongue ;  but  he 
came  more  and  more  to  dislike  his  uncle,  especially  as  he  saw 
that  when  angry  he  would  turn  upon  his  aunt  and  speak 
violently  to  her  in  her  own  language.  Sometimes  she  would 
blaze  out  in  return,  but  generally  she  continued  to  smoke  her 
cigarette  tranquilly  as  if  utterly  unconscious  that  she  was 
spoken  to. 

So  for  the  next  two  years  matters  went  on.  During  the 
summer  holidays  Hugh  seldom  saw  his  uncle,  who  was  more 
and  more  away  from  home,  being  now  a  constant  attendant  at 
ill  the  principal  race-courses  in  the  country.  Even  in  winter 
he  was  often  away  in  London,  to  Hugh's  great  satisfaction,  for 
when  he  was  at  home  there  were  frequent  quarrels  between 
them,  and  Hugh  could  see  that  his  uncle  habitually  drank  a 
great  deal  more  wine  than  was  good  for  him.  Indeed  it  was 


68  A   WILD   SET. 

always  in  the  evening  that  these  scenes  occurred.  At  other 
times  his  uncle  seemed  to  make  an  effort  to  be  pleasant  with  him. 

In  summer  Hugh  went  away  with  his  aunt  for  a  time,  but 
he  spent  a  part  of  his  holidays  at  Byrneside,  for  of  all  exer- 
cises he  best  loved  riding.  His  pony  had  been  given  up,  but 
there  were  plenty  of  horses  in  the  stables,  for  although  William 
Tunstall  did  not  care  for  hunting,  he  rode  a  good  deal,  and 
was  an  excellent  horseman. 

"What  have  you  got  in  the  stable,  James?"  Hugh  asked  one 
day  on  his  return  from  the  school. 

"  I  have  got  a  set  of  the  worst-tempered  devils  in  the  country, 
Master  Hugh.  Except  them  two  ponies  that  I  drives  your  aunt 
out  with,  there  isn't  a  horse  in  the  stables  fit  for  a  Christian 
to  ride.  They  are  all  good  horses,  first-rate  horses,  putting 
aside  their  tempers ;  but  your  uncle  seems  to  delight  in  buying 
creatures  that  no  one  else  will  ride.  Of  course  he  gets  them 
cheap.  He  doesn't  care  how  wicked  they  are,  and  he  seems  to 
enjoy  it  when  they  begin  their  pranks  with  him.  I  thought  at 
first  he  would  get  his  brains  dashed  out  to  a  certainty,  but  I 
never  saw  a  man  keep  his  seat  as  he  does.  He  told  me  once, 
that  when  a  man  had  been  breaking  bronchos — that  is  what  he 
called  them,  which  means,  he  said,  wild  horses  that  had  never 
been  backed — he  could  sit  anything,  and  that  English  horses 
were  like  sheep  in  comparison. 

"  Of  course,  it  is  no  use  saying  no  to  you,  Master  Hugh  ;  but 
if  you  want  to  go  out,  you  must  stick  to  that  big  meadow.  You 
must  mount  there,  and  you  must  promise  me  not  to  go  beyond 
it.  I  have  been  letting  the  hedges  grow  there  on  purpose  for 
the  last  two  years,  and  no  horse  will  try  to  take  them.  The 
ground  is  pretty  soft  and  you  will  fall  light.  You  have  been 
getting  on  with  your  riding  the  last  three  years,  and  have 
had  some  pretty  rough  mounts,  but  none  as  bad  as  what  we 
have  got  in  the  stables  now.  I  shall  always  go  out  with  you 
myself  with  one  of  the  men  in  case  of  accident,  and  I  can  put 
you  up  to  some  of  their  tricks  before  you  mount." 

Hugh  was  more  than  fifteen  now,  and  was  very  tall  and 


A   GOOD   SEAT.  69 

strong  for  his  age.  He  had  ridden  a  great  deal  when  he  had 
been  at  home  during  the  summer,  and  in  the  winter  when  the 
weather  was  open,  and  had  learned  to  sit  on  nasty-tempered 
animals,  for  these  had  gradually  taken  the  place  of  his  father's 
steady  hunters;  but  this  year  he  found  that  the  coachman's 
opinion  of  those  now  under  his  charge  was  by  no  means  ex- 
aggerated. In  spite  of  doing  his  best  to  keep  his  seat,  he 
had  many  heavy  falls,  being  once  or  twice  stunned ;  but  he 
stuck  to  it,  and  by  the  end  of  the  holidays  flattered  himself 
that  he  could  ride  the  worst-tempered  animal  in  the  stable. 
He  did  not  go  away  this  year,  begging  his  aunt  to  remain 
at  home. 

"  It  is  a  splendid  chance  of  learning  to  ride  well,  aunt,"  he 
said.  "  If  I  stick  at  it  right  through  these  two  months  every 
day  I  shall  really  have  got  a  good  seat,  and  you  know  it  is 
a  lot  better  my  getting  chucked  off  now  than  if  I  was  older. 
You  see  boys'  bones  ain't  set,  and  they  hardly  ever  break  them, 
and  if  they  do  they  mend  up  in  no  time." 

His  aunt  had  at  first  very  strongly  opposed  his  riding  any 
of  the  animals  in  the  stable,  and  he  had  been  obliged  to  bring 
in  James  to  assure  her  that  some  of  them  were  not  much  worse 
than  those  he  had  ridden  before,  and  that  a  fall  on  the  soft 
ground  of  the  meadow  was  not  likely  to  be  very  serious,  but 
it  was  only  on  his  giving  her  his  solemn  promise  that  he  would 
not  on  any  account  go  beyond  the  meadow  that  she  finally 
consented.  On  his  return  at  Christmas  he  found  his  uncle  at 
home,  and  apparently  in  an  unusually  pleasant  humour.  A 
frost  had  set  in  that  seemed  likely  to  be  a  long  one,  and  the 
ground  was  as  hard  as  iron. 

"  I  hear,  Hugh,"  his  uncle  said  the  second  morning  at  break- 
fast, "  that  you  are  becoming  a  first-rate  rider.  I  am  glad  to 
hear  it.  Out  in  the  Western  States  every  man  is  a  good  rider. 
You  may  say  that  he  lives  on  horseback,  and  it  comes  natural 
even  to  boys  to  be  able  to  sit  bare-backed  on  the  first  horse 
that  comes  to  hand.  Of  course  it  is  not  so  important  here,  still 
a  man  who  is  a  really  good  rider  has  many  advantages.  In 


70  MRS.   TUNSTALL   SPEAKS   OUT. 

the  first  place,  all  gentlemen  here  hunt,  and  a  man  who  can 
go  across  any  country,  and  can  keep  his  place  in  the  front  rank, 
has  much  honour  among  his  neighbours ;  in  the  second  place, 
he  is  enabled  to  get  his  horses  cheap.  A  horse  that  will  fetch 
two  hundred  if  he  is  free  from  vice  can  be  often  picked  up  for 
twenty  if  he  gets  the  reputation  of  being  bad-tempered.  There 
is  another  accomplishment  we  all  have  in  the  west,  and  that  is 
to  be  good  pistol-shots.  As  we  cannot  ride,  and  there  is  nothing 
else  to  do,  I  will  teach  you,  if  you  like." 

Hugh  accepted  the  offer  with  lively  satisfaction,  heedless  of 
an  exclamation  of  dissent  from  his  aunt.  When  he  had  left 
the  room  William  Tunstall  turned  savagely  upon  his  wife. 

"  What  did  you  want  to  interfere  for  ?  Just  attend  to  your 
own  business  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

"  It  is  my  own  business,"  she  said  fearlessly.  "  I  like  that 
boy,  and  I  am  not  going  to  see  him  hurt.  Ever  since  you  told 
me,  soon  after  we  first  came  here,  that  by  his  father's  will  the 
whole  property  came  to  you  if  Hugh  died  before  he  came  of 
age,  I  have  been  anxious  for  him.  I  don't  want  to  interfere 
with  your  way  of  going  on.  Lead  your  own  life,  squander  your 
share  of  the  property  if  you  like,  it  is  nothing  to  me ;  when  it 
is  spent  I  am  ready  to  go  back  to  our  old  life,  but  I  won't 
have  the  boy  hurt.  I  have  always  accepted  your  story  as  to 
how  you  became  possessed  of  the  papers  without  question.  I 
know  you  have  killed  a  score  of  men  in  what  you  call  fair  fight, 
but  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  a  murderer  in  cold  blood. 
Anyhow  the  boy  sha'n't  be  hurt.  I  believe  you  bought  those 
horses  knowing  that  he  would  try  them,  and  believing  they 
would  break  his  neck.  They  haven't,  but  no  thanks  to  you. 
Now  you  have  offered  to  teach  him  pistol-shooting.  It  is  so 
easy  for  an  accident  to  take  place,  isn't  it?  But  I  warn  you 
that  if  anything  happens  to  him,  I  will  go  straight  to  the 
nearest  magistrate  and  tell  him  who  you  really  are,  and  that 
I  am  certain  there  was  no  accident,  but  a  murder." 

The  man  was  white  with  fury,  and  advanced  a  step  towards 
ker. 


AN  UNEXPECTED   REVOLT.  71 

"  Have  you  gone  mad?"  he  asked  between  his  teeth.  "By 
heavens  ! — " 

"  No,  you  won't,"  she  interrupted.  "  Don't  make  the  threat, 
because  I  might  not  forgive  you  if  you  did.  Do  you  think  I 
am  afraid  of  you  ?  You  are  not  in  California  or  Mexico  now. 
People  cannot  be  shot  here  without  inquiry.  I  know  what  you 
are  thinking  of;  an  accident  might  happen  to  me  too.  I  know 
that  any  love  you  ever  had  for  me  has  died  out  long  ago,  but 
I  hold  to  my  life.  I  have  placed  in  safe  hands — never  mind 
where  I  have  placed  it — a  paper  telling  all  the  truth.  It 
is  to  be  opened  if  I  die  suddenly  and  without  sending  for  it. 
In  it  I  say  that  if  my  death  is  said  to  have  been  caused  by  an 
accident,  it  would  be  no  accident,  but  murder;  and  that  if  I 
die  suddenly,  without  visible  cause,  that  I  shall  have  been 
poisoned.  Do  you  think  I  don't  know  you,  and  that  knowing 
you  I  would  trust  my  life  altogether  in  your  hands  ?  There, 
that  is  enough,  we  need  not  threaten  each  other.  I  know  you, 
and  now  you  know  me.  We  will  both  go  our  own  way." 

And  she  walked  out  of  the  room  leaving  her  husband  speech- 
less with  fury  at  this  open  and  unexpected  revolt.  Half  an 
hour  later  his  dog-cart  was  at  the  door  and  he  left  for  London. 
Hugh  was  astonished  when,  on  his  return  from  a  walk  down 
to  Gowan's  cottage,  he  found  that  his  uncle  had  gone  up  to 
town. 

"  Why,  I  thought,  aunt,  he  was  going  to  be  at  home  all  the 
holidays,  and  he  said  that  he  was  going  to  teach  me  pistol- 
shooting." 

"  Your  uncle  often  changes  his  mind  suddenly.  I  will  teach 
you  pistol-shooting,  Hugh.  Most  Mexican  women  can  use  a 
pistol  in  case  of  need.  I  cannot  shoot  as  he  does,  but  I  can 
teach  you  to  shoot  fairly,  and  after  that  it  is  merely  a  matter 
of  incessant  practice.  If  you  ever  travel  I  daresay  you  will 
find  it  very  useful  to  be  able  to  use  a  pistol  cleverly.  There 
are  two  or  three  revolvers  upstairs  and  plenty  of  ammunition, 
so  if  you  like  we  will  practise  in  the  conservatory ;  it  is  too 
cold  to  go  out  You  had  better  go  and  ask  James  to  give 


72  PISTOL   PRACTICE. 

you  some  thick  planks,  five  or  six  of  them,  to  set  up  as  targets. 
If  he  has  got  such  a  thing  as  an  iron  plate  it  will  be  better 
still.  I  don't  want  to  spoil  my  picture.  The  place  is  forty 
feet  long,  which  will  be  a  long  enough  range  to  begin  with." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  sharp  cracks  of  a  revolver  rang  out 
in  the  conservatory,  and  from  that  time  to  the  end  of  the  holi- 
days Hugh  practised  for  two  or  three  hours  a  day,  the  carrier 
bringing  over  fresh  supplies  of  ammunition  twice  a  week.  He 
found  at  first  that  the  sharp  recoil  of  the  revolver  rendered  it 
very  difficult  for  him  to  shoot  straight,  but  in  time  he  became 
accustomed  to  this,  and  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  could  put 
every  shot  in  or  close  to  the  spot  he  had  marked  as  a  bull's-eye. 
After  the  first  day  his  aunt  laid  aside  her  pistol,  and  betook 
herself  to  her  favourite  hammock,  where,  sometimes  touching 
her  guitar,  sometimes  glancing  at  a  book,  she  watched  his  pro- 
gress. 

At  the  end  of  the  fortnight  she  said :  "  You  begin  to  shoot 
fairly  straight.  Keep  on,  Hugh,  and  with  constant  practice, 
you  will  be  able  to  hit  a  half-crown  every  time.  In  the  West 
it  is  a  common  thing  for  a  man  to  hold  a  copper  coin  between 
his  finger  and  thumb  for  another  to  shoot  at.  I  have  seen  it 
done  scores  of  times,  but  it  will  take  you  some  time  to  get  to 
that.  You  must  remember  that  there  is  very  seldom  time  to 
take  a  steady  deliberate  aim  as  you  do.  When  a  man  shoots 
he  has  got  to  shoot  quickly.  Now,  practise  standing  with  your 
face  the  other  way,  and  then  turn  and  fire  the  instant  your  eye 
catches  the  mark.  After  that  you  must  practise  firing  from  your 
hip.  Sometimes  there  is  no  time  to  raise  the  arm.  Out  in  the 
West  a  man  has  got  to  do  one  of  two  things,  either  not  to 
carry  a  revolver  at  all,  or  else  he  must  be  able  to  shoot  as 
quickly  as  a  flash  of  lightning." 

"  I  don't  suppose  I  am  ever  going  to  the  West,  aunt ;  still  I 
should  like  to  be  able  to  shoot  like  that,  for  if  one  does  a  thing 
at  all  one  likes  to  do  it  well." 

And  so  to  the  end  of  the  holidays  the  revolver  practice  went 
on  steadily  every  morning,  Hugh  generally  firing  seventy  or 


MRS.  TUNSTALL'S  PRECAUTION.  73 

eighty  cartridges.  He  could  not  do  this  at  first,  for  the  wrench 
of  the  recoil  strained  his  wrist,  but  this  gained  strength  as  he 
went  on.  Before  he  went  back  to  school  he  himself  thought 
that  he  was  becoming  a  very  fair  shot,  although  his  aunt 
assured  him  that  he  had  hardly  begun  to  shoot  according  to 
western  notions. 

Mrs.  Tunstall  had  one  day,  a  year  before  this,  driven  over 
to  Carlisle,  and,  somewhat  to  the  surprise  of  Mr.  Randolph, 
had  called  upon  him  at  his  office. 

**  Mr.  Randolph,"  she  began,  "  I  do  not  know  anything  about 
English  law.  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question." 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  madam." 

"  If  a  married  woman  was  to  leave  a  sealed  letter  in  the 
hands  of  a  lawyer,  could  he  retain  possession  of  it  for  her,  even 
if  her  husband  called  upon  him  to  give  it  up  ?  " 

"It  is  a  nice  question,  Mrs.  Tunstall.  If  the  lawyer  was 
acting  as  the  fiduciary  agent  of  a  lady  he  would  at  any  rate  see 
that  her  wishes  were  complied  with ;  whether  he  could  abso- 
lutely hold  the  paper  against  the  husband's  claim  is  a  point 
upon  which  I  am  not  prepared  at  present  to  give  an  answer. 
But  anyhow  there  are  ways  of  evading  the  law ;  for  instance, 
he  could  pass  it  on  to  a  third  party,  and  then,  unless  the  hus- 
band had  been  absolutely  informed  by  his  wife  that  she  had 
handed  over  this  document  to  him,  the  husband  would  be 
powerless,  the  lawyer  would  simply  declare  that  he  had  no 
such  document.  Are  you  asking  for  your  own  sake,  Mrs.  Tun- 
stall, or  in  the  interest  of  a  friend?  " 

"  In  my  own  interest,  Mr.  Randolph.  I  have  a  written 
paper  here.  I  have  not  signed  it  yet,  because  I  believe  it  is 
necessary  to  sign  papers  in  the  presence  of  witnesses." 

"  It  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  paper,  Mrs.  Tunstall ; 
but  in  all  cases  it  is  a  prudent  step,  for  then  no  question  as 
to  the  authenticity  can  arise." 

"  And  it  is  not  necessary  for  the  witnesses  of  the  signature 
to  read  the  contents  of  the  document?" 

"  By  no  means ;  they  simply  witness  the  signature." 


74  AN   IMPORTANT  DOCUMENT. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Randolph,  this  is  the  document  I  want  to  leave 
in  safe  hands,  so  that  it  can  be  opened  after  my  death,  unless 
I  previously  request,  not  by  letter,  but  by  word  of  mouth, 
that  it  should  be  returned  to  me.  I  know  of  no  one  else  to 
whom  I  could  commit  the  paper,  which  is,  in  my  opinion, 
a  very  important  one ;  the  only  question  is  whether,  as  you 
are  Mr.  Tunstall's  solicitor,  you  would  like  to  take  it." 

"  Frankly,  without  knowing  the  nature  of  the  contents,  Mrs. 
Tunstall,  I  should  certainly  prefer  not  to  undertake  such  a 
charge.  Should  it  remain  in  my  hands,  or  rather  in  the  hands 
of  our  firm — for  we  may  sincerely  trust  that  there  would  be  no 
occasion  for  opening  it  until  very  many  years  after  my  death — 
it  might  be  found  to  contain  instructions  which  could  hardly 
be  carried  out  by  a  firm  situated  as  we  are  with  regard  to  Mr. 
Tunstall." 

"  I  see  that,  Mr.  Randolph." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  the  lawyer  said  :  "  Will  you  be 
going  up  to  town  shortly,  Mrs.  Tunstall?  " 

"Yes,  in  the  course  of  a  month  or  so  I  shall  be  passing 
through  London  with  Hugh." 

"Will  the  matter  keep  until  then?  " 

"  Certainly,  there  is  no  great  hurry  about  it :  but  I  wish  the 
packet  placed  in  safe  hands,  where  it  would  be  opened  in  the 
event  of  my  death,  unless  I  recall  it  before  that." 

"  In  that  case,  Mrs.  Tunstall,  I  will  give  you  the  address  of 
the  firm  who  do  my  London  business.  They  are  an  old  estab- 
lished firm  of  the  highest  respectability,  and  the  document 
will  be  perfectly  safe  in  their  hands  until  you  demand  it  back, 
or  until  they  hear  of  your  demise.  I  will  give  you  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  them." 

Accordingly  when  Mrs.  Tunstall  went  up  to  town  the  next 
time  with  Hugh  she  called  upon  the  firm  of  solicitors,  whose 
place  of  business  was  in  Essex  Street,  and  upon  reading  Mr. 
Randolph's  letter,  which  stated  that  she  was  the  wife  of  one 
of  his  clients,  a  gentleman  of  means,  she  was  courteously  re- 
ceived, and  they  at  once  agreed  to  take  charge  of  any  document 


SIGNED.  75 

she  might  place  in  their  hands,  upon  the  understanding  that 
if  she  did  not  write  or  call  for  it,  it  should  be  opened  when 
they  heard  of  her  death,  and  its  contents,  whatever  they  might 
be,  acted  upon. 

"  You  will  stand  in  the  position  of  our  client,  Mrs.  Tunstall, 
and  we  will  do  all  in  our  power  to  carry  out  your  wishes  as 
expressed  in  this  document,  whatever  it  may  be.  It  is  no 
unusual  matter  for  a  will  to  be  left  with  us  under  precisely 
similar  circumstances." 

"If  the  packet  should  be  opened  under  the  conditions  I 
name,"  Mrs.  Tunstall  said,  "you  will  probably  not  regret 
having  undertaken  its  charge,  for  I  can  assure  you  that  it  may 
put  a  considerable  amount  of  business  in  your  hands.  But 
how  will  you  know  of  my  death?  " 

r<  Mr.  Randolph  or  his  successor  would  inform  us.  Of  course 
we  shall  request  him  to  do  so." 

"And  as  soon  as  he  knows  of  the  event,"  Mrs.  Tunstall 
added,  "  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  paper  should 
be  opened  as  soon  as  possible  after  my  death." 

"  We  will  request  Mr.  Randolph  to  inform  us  by  telegraph 
immediately  he  receives  the  news.  But,  pardon  me,  you  look 
well  and  healthy,  and  are  young  to  be  making  such  careful  pro- 
visions for  an  event  that  may  be  far  distant." 

"  That  may  or  may  not  be  far  distant,"  she  said,  "  but  for 
certain  important  reasons  I  wish  to  be  prepared  for  it  at  all 
points.  I  will  now  sign  it  in  your  presence,  Mr.  Curtice.  I 
have  not  yet  put  my  signature  to  it." 

"  Very  well,  Mrs.  Tunstall.  Two  of  my  clerks  shall  witness 
your  signature.  It  may  be  many  years  before  any  question 
as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  signature  may  arise ;  so  I  shall 
be  a  witness  also." 

The  document  was  a  lengthy  one,  written  on  sixteen  pages 
of  foolscap.  Two  of  the  clerks  were  called  in. 

"  Now  if  you  will  turn  that  last  page  down,  Mrs.  Tunstall, 
so  that  its  contents  cannot  be  seen,  you  can  sign  your  name 
and  we  will  witness  it."  This  was  done.  "  Now,  Mrs.  Tun- 


76  IN  SAFE   HANDS. 

stall,  if  you  will  put  a  sheet  of  brown  paper  over  the  other 
sheets,  and  place  your  initials  on  the  margin  at  the  bottom, 
we  will  put  ours,  so  that  no  question  can  arise  as  to  the  whole 
of  them  forming  part  of  the  document  signed  by  you.  Now, 
madam,  if  you  will  fold  it  up  and  place  it  in  this  envelope  I 
will  attach  my  seal.  I  presume  you  do  not  carry  a  seal?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  more  satisfactory  that  you  should 
affix  a  seal  of  some  sort,  no  matter  how  common  a  thing  it 
may  be.  Mr.  Carter,  will  you  go  up  into  the  Strand  with 
this  lady,  and  take  her  to  some  shop  where  she  can  purchase  a 
seal  ?  It  does  not  matter  what  it  is,  Mrs.  Tunstall ;  any  com- 
mon thing,  with  a  bird  or  a  motto  or  anything  else  upon  it. 
These  things  are  not  cut  in  duplicate,  therefore  if  you  seal  the 
envelope  in  two  or  three  places  with  it  and  take  the  seal  away 
with  you,  it  will  be  a  guarantee  to  you,  should  you  ever 
require  it  to  be  returned,  that  it  has  not  been  opened.  In  the 
meantime  I  will  get  a  small  strong-box  similar  to  those  you 
see  round  the  room,  and  have  your  name  painted  on  it.  When 
it  is  completed  I  shall  put  the  envelope  in  it,  lock  it  up,  and 
place  it  in  our  strong-room  downstairs." 

The  seal  was  purchased  and  fixed,  and  Mrs.  Tunstall  took 
her  departure,  satisfied  that  she  had  left  the  document  in  safe 
hands.  Mr.  Curtice  talked  the  matter  over  with  his  partner. 
The  latter  laughed. 

"  Women  love  a  little  mystery,  Curtice.  I  suppose  she  has 
got  a  little  property  in  her  own  right,  and  does  not  mean  to 
leave  it  to  her  husband,  and  is  afraid  he  may  get  hold  of  her 
will  and  find  out  how  she  has  left  it." 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  that,"  Mr.  Curtice  said,  "  although,  of 
course,  it  may  be.  I  should  say  she  was  a  foreigner — a  Spaniard 
or  Italian ;  she  spoke  with  a  slight  accent.  Besides,  the  thing 
extends  over  sixteen  pages  of  foolscap." 

"  That  is  likely  enough  if  she  made  the  will  herself,  Curtice. 
She  may  have  gone  into  a  whole  history  as  to  why  she  has  not 
left  her  money  to  her  husband." 


MR.    TUNSTALL   IS    FOILED.  77 

"  Possibly,  but  I  don't  think  so.  You  mark  my  words,  Harris, 
if  that  packet  ever  comes  to  be  opened  there  will  be  some  rum 
disclosures  in  it.  That  woman  was  no  fool,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  about  her  being  thoroughly  in  earnest.  She  said  it  was 
likely  to  give  us  some  work  when  it  was  opened,  and  I  believe 
her.  I  will  write  a  letter  to  Randolph  and  ask  him  to  give  us 
a  few  particulars  about  this  client  he  has  introduced  to  us." 

When  he  received  Mr.  Randolph's  reply,  stating  briefly  the 
history  of  Mr.  William  Tunstall,  the  husband  of  the  lady  he 
had  introduced  to  them,  Mr.  Curtice  was  more  convinced  than 
before  that  the  delivery  of  this  packet  into  his  charge  was  not 
a  mere  freak,  and  offered  to  bet  his  partner  a  new  hat  that  the 
document  was  not  merely  a  will,  but  that  it  would  turn  out 
something  altogether  unusual. 

Mr.  Randolph  congratulated  himself  on  his  forethought, 
when,  a  year  after  Mrs.  TunstalFs  visit,  Mr.  Tunstall  came  into 
the  office. 

"  I  am  just  on  my  way  up  to  town,"  he  said.  "  I  wish  you 
would  let  me  have  a  couple  of  hundred  in  advance  on  the  next 
rents." 

"  Certainly,  Mr.  Tunstall.  You  have  already  had  ^200  on 
them,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  I  have  been  a  little  unlucky  lately,  and 
have  got  an  account  I  want  to  settle.  By  the  way,"  he  said 
carelessly,  as  he  placed  the  bank-notes  in  his  pocket-book, 
"  Mrs.  Tunstall  asked  me  to  get  from  you  the  letter  or  packet 
she  left  in  your  charge." 

"  A  letter,  Mr.  Tunstall  ?  I  think  there  must  be  some  mis- 
take. Mrs.  TunstaH  has  certainly  left  nothing  whatever  in 
my  charge." 

"  Oh  !  I  suppose  I  misunderstood  her.  I  only  made  up  my 
mind  to  start  a  short  time  before  I  came  off,  and  did  not  pay 
much  attention  to  what  she  was  saying ;  but  it  was  something 
about  a  letter,  and  she  mentioned  your  name;  there  were 
half  a  dozen  commissions  she  wanted  me  to  execute  for  her 
in  London,  and  I  suppose  they  all  got  mixed  up  together.  I 


78  "IT  IS  A  QUEER   BUSINESS." 

daresay  it  is  of  no  consequence  one  way  or  the  other.  Well, 
thanks  for  the  money — now  I  am  off." 

"I  am  very  much  afraid  that  William  Tunstall  is  a  liar," 
Mr.  Randolph  said  to  himself  thoughtfully  after  his  client  had 
left.  "He  has  found  out  that  his  wife  has  intrusted  some 
document  or  other  to  someone,  and  he  guessed  naturally  enough 
that  she  had  most  likely  come  to  me  with  it,  and  he  played  a 
bold  stroke  to  get  it.  I  do  not  like  the  way  he  has  fallen  into 
of  spending  all  his  time  going  about  the  country  to  race- courses. 
I  don't  believe  he  has  been  at  home  two  months  this  year. 
Besides,  he  sounded  me  last  time  he  was  here  about  raising  a 
few  thousands  on  a  mortgage.  He  is  not  turning  out  well.  I 
thought  when  he  first  came  back  that  his  wanderings  had  done 
him  no  harm.  No  doubt  I  had  been  prepossessed  in  his  favour 
by  his  refusal  to  accept  Edgar's  offers  to  divide  the  rents  with 
him,  but  I  was  too  hasty.  I  am  afraid  there  will  be  trouble 
at  Byrneside.  It  is  very  fortunate  Edgar  put  my  name  in  as 
trustee  for  his  son,  so  that  his  share  of  the  property  is  safe 
whatever  happens  to  the  other ;  but  I  hate  to  see  a  man  of  a 
good  old  family  like  the  Tunstalls  going  wrong.  I  wonder 
what  this  mysterious  document  his  wife  wanted  to  leave  with 
me  is  ?  It  must  be  something  of  great  importance,  or  he  would 
never  have  come  to  me  and  lied  in  order  to  get  it  into  his 
hands.  It  is  a  queer  business." 

Hugh  did  not  see  his  uncle  when  he  was  at  home  for  the 
summer  holidays.  His  aunt  seemed  to  take  his  absence  as 
a  matter  of  course. 

"Don't  you  expect  uncle  home  soon?"  he  asked  her  one 
day. 

"  I  never  expect  him,"  she  said  quietly. 

"  I  think  it  a  shame  he  stays  away  so,  leaving  you  all  by 
yourself,  aunt !  "  Hugh  said  indignantly. 

"  I  am  accustomed  to  it  by  this  time,  Hugh ;  and,  upon  the 
whole,  I  think  perhaps  he  is  better  away  than  here  while  yom 
are  at  home.  You  see  you  do  not  get  on  very  well  together." 

"  Well,  aunt,  I  am  sure  I  don't  want  any  rows." 


"HE   WAS  A   GENTLEMAN."  79 

"  I  don't  say  you  do,  Hugh ;  but  still  there  are  rows.  You 
see  he  is  passionate,  and  you  are  passionate,  and  it  is  very 
much  better  you  should  be  apart.  As  for  me,  I  have  always 
been  accustomed  to  his  being  away  from  me  a  good  deal 
ever  since  we  married,  and  it  does  not  trouble  me  at  all.  I 
would  much  rather  have  you  all  to  myself.  Your  being  here 
makes  it  a  very  pleasant  time  for  me  :  we  ride  together,  drive 
together,  and  practise  shooting  together.  It  is  all  a  change  to 
me,  for  except  when  you  are  here  I  seldom  stir  beyond  the 
gardens." 

Hugh  had  indeed  no  doubt  that  his  aunt  was  more  com- 
fortable when  his  uncle  was  away,  for  he  heard  from  Wilson 
that  when  Mr.  Tunstall  was  at  home  there  were  constant  quar- 
rels between  him  and  his  wife. 

"  He  ain't  like  your  father,  Mr.  Hugh.  Ah !  he  was  a 
gentleman  of  the  right  sort !  Not  that  your  uncle  is  a  bad 
master.  He  is  hasty  if  everything  is  not  quite  right,  but  in 
general  he  is  pleasant  spoken  and  easy  to  get  on  with.  He  is 
popular  with  the  gentry,  though  of  late  they  have  held  off  a 
bit.  I  hear  it  said  they  don't  hold  to  a  gentleman  spending 
all  his  life  on  the  race-courses  and  leaving  his  wife  by  herself. 
Your  aunt  is  well  liked,  and  would  be  better  liked  if  she  would 
only  go  abroad  and  visit ;  but  she  never  drives  out  unless 
when  you  are  here,  and  people  have  given  up  calling.  It  is 
a  bad  job ;  but  I  hope  when  you  come  of  age,  Mr.  Hugh,  we 
shall  have  the  old  times  back  again,  when  the  Tunstalls  were 
one  of  the  first  families  in  the  county,  and  took  the  lead  of 
pretty  nigh  everything." 

"Well,  they  have  five  years  to  wait  for  that,  Wilson.  I  am 
just  sixteen  now,  and  I  mean  when  I  do  come  of  age  and  am 
my  own  master  to  travel  about  for  a  bit  before  I  settle  down 
into  a  country  squire." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  that  is  natural  enough,  Mr.  Hugh,  though 
why  people  want  to  be  running  off  to  foreign  parts  is  more 
than  I  can  make  out.  Anyhow,  sir,  I  hope  you  won't  be 
bringing  a  foreign  wife  back  with  you." 


80  MR.  TUNSTALL'S  ADVICE. 

"There  is  no  fear  of  that" — Hugh  laughed — "at  least 
according  to  my  present  ideas.  But  I  suppose  that  is  a  thing 
no  one  can  settle  about  until  their  time  comes.  At  any  rate 
aunt  is  a  foreigner,  and  I  am  sure  no  one  could  be  kinder  or 
nicer  than  she  is." 

"That  she  is,  Mr.  Hugh.  I  am  sure  everyone  says  that. 
Still,  you  see,  there  is  drawbacks.  Her  ways  are  different 
from  the  ways  of  the  ladies  about  here,  and  that  keeps  her 
apart  from  them.  She  don't  drive  about,  and  call,  and  make 
herself  sociable  like,  nor  see  to  the  charities  down  in  the  village. 
It  ain't  as  she  doesn't  give  money,  because  I  know  that  when- 
ever the  rector  says  there  is  a  case  wants  help  she  is  ready 
enough  with  her  purse ;  but  she  don't  go  among  them  or  know 
anything  about  them  herself.  No,  Mr.  Hugh ;  your  aunt  is  a 
wonderful  nice  lady,  but  you  take  my  advice  and  bring  home 
an  English  wife  as  mistress  of  the  Hall." 

When  he  came  home  for  the  Christmas  holidays  Hugh  found 
his  uncle  again  at  home.  For  a  time  matters  went  on  smoothly. 
Mr.  Tunstall  made  an  evident  endeavour  to  be  friendly  with 
him,  talked  to  him  about  his  life  at  school,  asked  whether  he 
wished  to  go  to  the  university  when  he  left ;  and  when  Hugh 
said  that  he  didn't  see  any  use  in  spending  three  years  of  his 
life  there  when  he  did  not  intend  entering  any  of  the  profes- 
sions, and  that  he  would  much  rather  travel  and  see  something 
of  foreign  countries,  he  warmly  encouraged  the  idea. 

"  Quite  right,  Hugh  !  There  is  nothing  opens  a  man's  mind 
like  foreign  travel.  But  don't  stick  in  the  great  towns.  Of 
course  you  will  want  a  year  to  do  Europe  ;  after  that  strike  out 
a  line  of  your  own.  If  I  had  my  time  over  again  I  would  go 
into  Central  Asia  or  Africa,  or  some  place  where  there  was 
credit  to  be  gained  and  some  spice  of  adventure  and  danger." 

"That  is  just  what  I  should  like,  uncle,"  Hugh  said  eagerly; 
and  looking  at  his  aunt  for  confirmation,  he  was  surprised  to 
see  her  watching  her  husband  intently  beneath  her  half-closed 
eyelids.  "Don't  you  think  so,  aunt?" 

" I  don't  know,  Hugh,"  she  said  quietly.     "There  is  a  good 


A   COWARDLY    BLOW.  81 

deal  to  be  said  both  ways.  But  I  don't  think  we  need  settle 
it  now :  you  have  another  year  and  a  half  at  school  yet,  you 
know." 

Hugh  went  out  skating  that  afternoon,  for  it  was  a  sharp 
frost.  As  he  was  passing  through  the  hall  on  his  return  he 
heard  his  uncle's  voice  raised  in  anger  in  the  drawing-room. 
He  paused  for  a  moment.  He  could  not  catch  the  words,  for 
they  were  spoken  in  Mexican.  There  was  silence  for  a  moment, 
and  he  imagined  that  his  aunt  was  answering.  Then  he  heard 
a  loud  exclamation  in  Mexican,  then  a  slight  cry  and  a  heavy 
<all.  He  rushed  into  the  room.  His  aunt  lay  upon  the  hearth- 
rug, his  uncle  was  standing  over  her  with  clenched  hand. 

"You  coward,  you  brutal  coward  ! "  Hugh  exclaimed,  rush- 
ing forward,  and,  throwing  himself  upon  his  uncle,  he  tried 
to  force  him  back  from  the  hearth-rug.  For  a  moment  the 
fury  of  his  assault  forced  his  uncle  back,  but  the  latter's  greatly 
superior  strength  then  enabled  him  to  shake  off  his  grasp,  and 
the  moment  he  was  free  he  struck  the  lad  a  savage  blow 
across  the  face,  that  sent  him  reeling  backwards.  Mad  with 
passion,  Hugh  rushed  to  the  fender,  and  seizing  a  poker, 
sprang  at  his  uncle.  William  TunstalPs  hand  went  behind 
him,  and  as  Hugh  struck,  he  levelled  a  pistol.  But  he  was  too 
late.  The  blow  came  down  heavily,  and  the  pistol  exploded 
in  the  air;  as  the  man  fell  back  his  head  came  with  terrible 
force  against  the  edge  of  a  cabinet,  and  he  lay  immovable. 
Hugh's  passion  was  stilled  in  an  instant.  He  dropped  the 
poker,  and  leaned  over  his  uncle.  The  blood  was  flowing 
down  his  forehead  from  the  blow  he  had  given  him,  but  it 
was  the  injury  to  the  back  of  the  head  that  most  alarmed  the 
lad.  He  lifted  an  arm,  and  it  fell  heavily  again.  He  knelt 
down  and  listened,  but  could  hear  no  sound  of  breathing.  He 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  looked  down,  white  and  trembling,  at  the 
body. 

"I  have  killed  him,"  he  said.  "Well,  he  brought  it  on 
himself,  and  I  didn't  mean  it.  It  was  the  cabinet  that  did  it. 
Perhaps  he  is  only  stunned.  If  he  is,  he  will  charge  me  with 


82  RUNNING   AWAY  ! 

trying  to  murder  him.  Well,  it  is  no  use  my  staying  here  : 
they  will  be  here  in  a  moment,"  and  he  glanced  at  the  door. 
But  the  servants  at  Byrneside  were  so  accustomed  to  the  sound 
of  pistol  shots  that  they  paid  no  attention  to  it.  Hugh  picked 
up  the  weapon  that  had  dropped  from  his  uncle's  hand  and  put 
it  in  his  pocket ;  then  glanced  at  his  aunt  and  hesitated.  "  She 
will  come  round  in  time,"  he  muttered,  "  and  I  can  do  nothing 
for  her."  Then  he  walked  out  of  the  room,  turned  the  key 
in  the  door,  and  took  it  with  him.  He  went  out  to  the  stable, 
and  ordered  his  horse  to  be  saddled,  keeping  in  the  stable 
while  it  was  being  done,  so  that  his  white  face  should  not 
attract  notice.  As  soon  as  the  horse  was  brought  out  ne  leapt 
into  the  saddle  and  galloped  off. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ACROSS  THE  SEA. 

MR.  RANDOLPH  was  at  dinner  when  the  servant  came  in 
and  said  that  young  Mr.  Tunstall  wished  to  speak  to  him ; 
he  was  in  the  library,  and  begged  the  lawyer  to  give  him  two 
minutes'  conversation.  Hugh  was  walking  up  and  down  the 
little  room  when  he  entered.  The  old  lawyer  saw  at  once  that 
something  was  wrong. 

"What  is  it,  Hugh,  what  is  the  matter,  lad?" 

"A  good  deal  is  the  matter,  Mr.  Randolph;  but  I  don't 
want  you  to  ask  me.  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  afterwards 
that  you  didn't  know.  You  were  a  friend  of  my  father's,  sir. 
You  have  been  always  very  kind  to  me.  Will  you  give  me 
fifty  pounds  without  asking  why  I  want  it?" 

"  Certainly  I  will,  lad ;  but  in  heaven's  name  don't  do  any- 
thing rash." 

"Anything  that  was  to  be  done  is  done,  Mr.  Randolph; 
please  let  me  have  the  money  at  once.  You  don't  know  how 
important  it  is.  You  will  know  soon  enough." 

Mr.  Randolph  unlocked  his  desk  without  a  word,  and 
handed  him  ten  five-pound  notes.  Then  he  said :  "  By  the 
way,  I  have  gold,  if  you  would  rather  have  it.  There  were 
some  rents  paid  in  this  afternoon." 

"  I  would  much  rather  have  gold." 

Mr.  Randolph  put  the  notes  in  the  desk,  and  then  unlocked 
tke  safe.  "  Would  you  rather  have  a  hundred  ?  " 

"  Yes,  air,  if  you  will  let  me  have  them." 


84  "IN   SELF-DEFENCE." 

The  lawyer  handed  him  a  small  canvas  bag. 

"God  bless  you,  sir  ! "  the  lad  said ;  "remember,  please,  what 
ever  you  hear,  it  was  done  in  self-defence." 

Then  without  another  word  he  opened  the  door  and  was  gone. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter,  my  dear?"  Mrs.  Randolph  ex- 
claimed, as  her  husband  returned  to  the  dining-room.  "  Why, 
you  are  as  pale  as  death." 

"  I  don't  know  what  is  the  matter  exactly,"  he  said.  "  Hugh 
has  borrowed  a  hundred  pounds  of  me,  and  has  gone." 

"  Gone  !     Where  has  he  gone  to  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  my  dear.  I  hope,  I  sincerely  hope  he  is 
going  out  of  the  country,  and  can  get  away  before  they  lay 
hands  on  him." 

"Why,  what  has  happened?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  has  happened.  I  know  things  haven't 
been  going  on  well  for  some  time  at  Byraeside.  I  am  afraid 
there  has  been  a  terrible  quarrel.  He  begged  me  to  ask  him 
no  questions,  and  I  was  glad  not  to  do  so.  The  less  one 
knows,  the  better ;  but  I  am  afraid  there  has  been  a  scuffle. 
All  he  said  was,  just  as  he  went  out :  '  Whatever  you  hear,  re- 
member I  did  it  in  self-defence/  " 

"But,  goodness  gracious,  Thomas,  you  don't  mean  to  say 
that  he  has  killed  his  uncle  ?  " 

"I  don't  mean  anything,"  the  lawyer  said.  "Those  were 
his  words.  I  am  afraid  it  won't  be  long  before  we  hear  what 
he  meant.  If  they  come  to  ask  me  questions,  fortunately  I 
know  nothing.  I  shall  say  no  word  except  before  a  magis- 
trate, and  then  my  story  is  simple  enough.  He  came  and 
asked  me  to  let  me  have  ^100,  and  as  I  was  his  trustee,  and 
have  the  rents  of  his  estate  for  the  past  five  years  in  my  hands, 
I  let  him  have  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  I  did  not  ask  him 
why  he  wanted  it.  I  saw  that  he  was  agitated,  and  from  his 
manner,  and  from  my  knowledge  that  he  and  his  uncle  did  not 
get  on  very  well  together,  I  judged  there  had  been  a  quarrel, 
and  that  he  intended  to  leave  home  for  a  while.  It  was  only 
when  he  was  leaving  the  room  that  I  gathered  there  had  been 


"I   DON'T   MEAN  TO   BE   CAUGHT."  85 

any  personal  fracas,  and  then  from  his  words,  '  It  was  done 
in  self-defence,'  I  judged  that  his  uncle  had  struck  him,  and 
that  he  had  probably  struck  him  in  return.  I  hope  that  is  all, 
my  dear.  I  pray  heaven  that  it  may  be  all." 

Hugh  had  dismounted  just  outside  the  town,  opened  a  gate 
leading  into  a  field,  taken  off  his  horse's  bridle,  and  turned  the 
horse  in  and  closed  the  gate  behind  it.  Then  he  had  turned 
up  the  collar  of  his  coat,  pulled  his  hat  down  over  his  eyes, 
and  made  his  way  to  the  lawyer's.  He  had  cooled  down  now, 
but  still  felt  no  regret  for  what  had  passed.  "  He  would  have 
killed  me,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  and  I  had  no  thought  of  kill- 
ing him  when  I  knocked  him  down ;  anyhow,  he  brought  it  on 
himself.  If  he  is  dead,  and  I  am  pretty  sure  he  is,  I  have  no 
one  to  prove  that  it  was  done  in  self-defence ;  but  if  he  is  not 
dead,  he  will  give  his  own  version  of  it  when  he  recovers. 
I  know  he  is  a  liar,  and  in  his  quiet  manner  he  would  be  able 
to  make  everyone  believe  that  I  had  attacked  him  without  the 
least  provocation.  He  might  even  say  that  I  fired  the  pistol, 
that  he  knocked  it  out  of  my  hand,  and  that  then  I  sprang  on 
him  and  struck  him  down  with  his  head  against  that  cabinet. 
Either  way  I  shall  get  years  of  imprisonment  if  I  am  caught ; 
but  I  don't  mean  to  be  caught  if  I  can  help  it." 

On  leaving  Mr.  Randolph's  he  proceeded  to  the  railway- 
station,  consulted  the  time-tables,  and  then  took  a  third-class 
ticket  to  Glasgow.  He  bought  a  Bradshaw,  and  sitting  down 
on  a  bench  under  a  light,  turned  to  the  advertisements  of  the 
sailing  of  steamers.  By  the  time  he  had  done  that  the  train 
came  in.  It  was  a  slow  one,  stopping  at  every  station.  He 
got  out  at  the  first  station  and  paid  the  fare  from  Carlisle, 
then  walked  back  to  the  town,  and  took  a  second-class  ticket 
by  the  night  mail  for  London.  Arriving  at  Euston,  he  walked 
across  to  the  docks,  whence  he  had  found  that  a  steamer 
started  for  Hamburg  at  eight  o'clock,  and  he  would  catch  a 
trans  -  Atlantic  steamer  that  started  the  next  day.  On  his 
arrival  at  Hamburg  he  went  to  the  steam-boat  office  and  took 
a  second-class  ticket  to  New  York.  Having  done  this,  he 


86  '  SAFE   FROM   PURSUIT, 

bought  at  a  shop  near  the  wharves  a  supply  of  clothes  for  the 
voyage,  placed  them  in  a  cheap  German  trunk,  and  walked 
on  board  the  steamer. 

He  was  now,  he  thought,  fairly  safe  from  pursuit.  The  hour 
at  which  he  would  arrive  at  the  station  at  Carlisle  would  be 
known,  and  as  the  northern  train  was  nearly  due,  and  some- 
one answering  to  his  description  had  taken  a  ticket  to  Glas- 
gow, it  would  be  at  once  suspected  that  he  intended  to  sail  by 
a  steamer  from  that  port.  No  pursuit  could  be  set  on  foot 
before  the  morning.  Indeed,  it  was  probable  that  before 
the  police  took  the  matter  fairly  in  hand  it  would  be  late  in 
the  afternoon.  It  might  then  be  another  day  before  they 
picked  up  the  clue  that  he  had  gone  to  Glasgow,  and  followed 
him  there. 

If  a  steamer  had  happened  to  start  that  morning  or  the 
day  before,  it  would  be  supposed  that  he  had  gone  by  it,  and 
they  might  telegraph  across,  and  search  the  ship  for  him 
when  it  arrived  at  New  York.  If  no  steamer  had  started,  and 
they  could  obtain  no  clue  to  him  in  Glasgow,  they  would  think 
that  he  had  gone  back  to  Liverpool,  and  would  make  search 
there,  watching  all  the  steamers  sailing.  They  would  in  any 
case  hardly  suspect  that  he  could  have  gone  up  to  London, 
across  to  Hamburg,  and  caught  the  steamer  sailing  from  there. 
Indeed,  it  would  not  have  been  possible  for  him  to  do  so  had 
he  first  gone  up  to  Glasgow  as  they  would  believe  he  had  done. 

As  soon  as  the  vessel  was  fairly  under  way  Hugh  looked 
round.  On  deck  there  was  no  distinction  made  between  second- 
class  emigrants  and  steerage,  but  it  was  easy  to  distinguish 
the  two  classes.  The  second-class  kept  somewhat  together  near 
the  companion  leading  to  their  portion  of  the  ship,  while  the 
steerage  passengers  were  well  forward.  The  number  of  the 
latter  was  not  very  large,  for  the  emigrant  traffic  across  the 
Atlantic  was  still  carried  principally  in  sailing  ships.  The 
second-class  were  composed  chiefly  of  substantial-looking  Ger- 
mans, for  the  most  part  farmers  going  out  with  a  small  amount 
of  capital  to  settle  in  the  West. 


"rr  WAS  ROUGH  ON  HIM."  87 

There  were  two  or  three  other  young  Englishmen,  and 
with  one  of  these,  named  Luscombe,  Hugh  struck  up  an  ac- 
quaintance before  he  had  been  many  hours  on  board.  He  was 
a  young  man  of  about  twenty,  and  Hugh  soon  learned  from  him 
that  he  was  the  son  of  a  large  landed  proprietor  in  Norfolk. 
He  had  for  a  few  months  been  in  a  crack  regiment  of  Hussars, 
but  had  gone,  as  he  expressed  it,  a  fearful  rnucker.  His  father 
had  paid  the  greater  portion  of  his  debts,  but  had  refused  to 
settle  some  that  he  considered  debts  of  honour.  Luscombe, 
therefore,  sold  out,  and  was  now,  as  he  expressed  it,  going  over 
to  knock  about  for  a  bit  in  the  States,  till  his  father  took  a 
" sensible  view  of  things."  "It  was  rough  on  him,"  he  said, 
"  for  I  had  run  him  up  a  pretty  heavy  bill  twice  before.  How- 
ever, I  think  it  is  all  for  the  best.  I  should  never  have  got 
out  of  that  line  if  I  had  stopped  in  the  regiment.  Two  or 
three  years  knocking  about,  and  hard  work,  won't  do  me  any 
harm ;  and  by  that  time  the  governor  will  be  prepared  to 
receive  the  prodigal  son  with  open  arms." 

Hugh  was  slower  in  giving  his  confidence.  But  before  the 
voyage  was  over  he  had  told  Luscombe  why  he  had  left 
England. 

"Well,  you  did  quite  right,  of  course,"  Luscombe  said,  "in 
knocking  that  brute  of  a  fellow  down,  and  if  you  did  split 
his  skull  and  make  your  aunt  a  widow  you  have  nothing  to 
reproach  yourself  with.  Still,  I  agree  with  you  that  it  will 
be  more  pleasant  for  you  if  he  gets  round,  as  I  daresay  he  will, 
or  else  it  will  be  a  long  while  before  you  can  show  up  at 
home.  Well,  you  will  know  by  the  time  we  have  been  in  New 
York  a  few  days.  If  the  papers  the  next  mail  brings  out  don't 
say  anything  about  it  you  may  be  sure  he  has  got  over  it.  '  A 
gentleman  killed  by  his  nephew  '  would  be  a  startling  heading, 
and  if  it  is  not  there,  you  may  go  about  your  work  with  a  light 
heart." 

The  voyage  was  marked  by  no  incident  whatever.  On  arriv- 
ing at  New  York  Luscombe  and  Hugh  put  up  at  a  good  hotel 
for  a  few  days  before  making  a  start  west.  They  had  agreed 


88  NO   NEWS   IS  GOOD   NEWS. 

to  keep  together,  at  any  rate  for  a  time.  Luscombe  was  several 
years  older  than  Hugh,  but  he  saw  that  the  lad  had  plenty  of 
good  sense  and  a  fund  of  resolution,  and  knew  that  he  himself 
was  more  likely  to  stick  to  work  in  such  companionship  than 
he  should  be  by  himself.  Luscombe's  light-hearted  carelessness 
amused  Hugh,  and  though  he  did  not  think  that  his  companion 
was  likely  to  stick  very  long  to  anything  he  took  up,  he  was 
very  glad  to  have  his  companionship  for  a  time.  Hugh  was 
thankful  indeed  when  the  next  mail  brought  a  batch  of  papers 
of  a  date  a  week  later  than  that  of  his  leaving  Cumberland, 
and  when  a  careful  examination  of  the  file  disclosed  no  allusion 
whatever  to  the  event  at  Byrneside. 

"  Well,  I  congratulate  you,  Hugh,"  Luscombe  said  when  he 
told  him.  "  I  expected  it  would  be  all  right.  If  he  had  been  a 
good  old  man  you  would  have  killed  him,  no  doubt,  but  bad 
men  have  always  wonderfully  thick  skulls.  Well,  now  you 
are  ready,  I  suppose,  to  make  our  start  to-morrow." 

"  Quite  ready,  Luscombe.  We  are  only  throwing  away  our 
money  here." 

They  had  already  made  many  inquiries,  and  had  settled 
that  they  would  in  the  first  place  go  down  to  Texas,  and  would 
there  take  the  first  job  of  any  kind  that  offered  itself,  keeping 
it  until  they  had  time  to  look  round  and  see  what  would  suit 
them  best.  Luscombe,  however,  said  frankly  that  he  thought 
it  probable  that  sooner  or  later  he  should  enlist  in  the  cavalry 
out  west. 

"  I  know  I  shall  never  stick  to  hard  work  very  long,  Hugh. 
I  have  not  got  my  fortune  to  make,  and  I  only  want  to  pass 
away  the  time  for  a  year  or  two  until  the  old  lady  and  the 
girls  get  the  governor  into  a  charitable  state  of  mind  again. 
He  is  a  first-rate  fellow,  and  I  am  not  surprised  that  he  cut  up 
rough  at  last.  I  expect  a  few  months  will  bring  him  round, 
but  I  should  not  know  what  to  do  if  I  went  back.  I  will 
.give  myself  three  years  anyhow." 

"  I  am  very  much  in  the  same  position,  Luscombe.  I  sha'n't 
£0  back  until  I  come  of  age.  Then  I  can  snap  my  fingers  at 


IN  TEXAS.  89 

my  uncle.  I  have  got  a  very  good  trustee,  who  will  look  after 
the  estate.  I  will  write  to  him  to-night  and  let  him  know  that 
I  am  all  right  and  very  glad  to  find  that  uncle  has  not  been 
killed,  and  that  he  may  expect  me  when  I  come  of  age,  but  not 
before." 

On  the  following  morning  they  took  their  places  in  the 
train,  and  travelled  west,  and  proceeded  to  what  was  then  the 
nearest  terminus  to  their  destination — Northern  Texas.  Trav- 
elling sometimes  by  stage-waggons,  sometimes  on  foot,  they 
amved  at  M'Kinney,  which  they  had  been  told  was  a  young 
place,  but  growing  fast. 

"  Well,  here  we  are  at  last,"  Luscombe  said  as  they  alighted 
at  a  one-storied  building,  on  which  was  a  board  roughly  painted, 
"  The  Empire  Hotel."  "  At  any  rate  the  scenery  is  better  than 
it  has  been  for  the  last  two  or  three  hundred  miles.  There 
are  some  good-sized  hills.  Some  of  those  across  the  country 
ahead  might  almost  claim  to  be  mountains,  and  that  is  a  relief 
to  the  eyes  after  those  dreary  flats.  Well,  let  us  go  in  and 
have  a  meal  first,  then  we  will  look  round.  The  place  has 
certainly  not  an  imposing  aspect." 

The  meals  here,  as  at  the  other  places  where  they  had  stopped, 
consisted  of  fried  steak,  which,  although  tough,  was  eatable, 
and  abundance  of  potatoes  and  cabbages,  followed  by  stewed 
fruit.  They  had  arrived  just  at  the  dinner-hour,  and  seven  or 
eight  men  in  their  shirt-sleeves  came  in  and  sat  down  with 
them.  The  tea  was  somewhat  better  than  that  they  had  hither- 
to obtained,  and  there  was,  in  addition,  the  luxury  of  milk. 
Scarcely  a  word  was  spoken  during  the  meal.  It  was  evidently 
considered  a  serious  business,  and  the  chief  duty  of  each  man 
was  to  eat  as  much  as  possible  in  the  shortest  possible  time. 
After  the  meal  was  over,  and  the  other  diners  had  gone  out, 
the  landlord,  who  had  taken  his  seat  at  the  top  of  the  table, 
dpened  the  conversation. 

"  Are  you  thinking  of  making  a  stay  here,  gentlemen?  " 

"  Yes,  if  we  can  get  any  work  to  suit  us,"  Luscombe  said. 

"  It  is  a  rising  place,"  the  landlord  said  as  he  lit  his  pipe. 


90  AN  ORDERLY   POPULATION. 

"  There  are  two  stores  and  eight  houses  being  built  now.  This 
town  has  a  great  future  before  it."  Luscombe  and  Hugh  had 
some  difficulty  in  preserving  their  gravity. 

"  It  is  the  chief  town  of  the  county,"  the  landlord  went  on. 
"  They  are  going  to  set  about  the  court-house  in  a  month  or 
two.  Our  sheriff  is  a  pretty  spry  man,  and  doesn't  stand  non- 
sense. We  have  an  orderly  population,  sir.  We  had  only  two 
men  shot  here  last  week." 

"  That  is  satisfactory,"  Luscombe  said  dryly.  "  We  are  peace- 
able characters  ourselves.  And  is  two  about  your  average? " 

"  Well,  I  can't  say  that,"  the  landlord  said ;  "  that  would 
be  too  much  to  expect.  The  week  before  last  Buck  Harris 
with  three  of  his  gang  came  in  and  set  up  the  town." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  set  up  ?  "  Luscombe  asked.  The 
landlord  looked  surprised  at  the  question. 

"  Oh,  to  set  up  a  town  is  to  ride  into  it,  and  to  clear  out  the 
saloons,  and  to  shoot  at  anyone  seen  outside  their  doors,  and 
to  ride  about  and  fire  through  the  windows.  They  had  done 
it  three  or  four  times  before,  and  as  four  or  five  men  had  been 
killed  the  citizens  became  annoyed." 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  that,"  Hugh  put  in. 

"  The  sheriff  got  a  few  men  together,  and  the  citizens  began 
to  shoot  out  of  their  windows.  Buck  Harris  and  two  of  his 
gang  were  killed  and  four  of  the  citizens.  Since  then  we  have 
had  quiet.  And  what  sort  of  work  do  you  want,  gentlemen  ? 
Perhaps  I  could  put  you  in  the  way  of  getting  it." 

"  Well,  we  wanted  to  get  work  among  horses,"  Luscombe  said. 

The  landlord  shook  his  head.  "You  want  to  go  further 
south  among  the  big  ranches  for  that.  This  is  not  much  of  a 
horse  country.  If  you  had  been  carpenters  now  there  would 
have  been  no  difficulty.  A  good  workman  can  get  his  four 
dollars  a-day.  Then  there  is  James  Pawson's  woodyard.  I 
reckon  you  might  get  a  job  there.  One  of  his  hands  got  shot 
HI  that  affair  with  Buck  Harris,  and  another  broke  his  leg  last 
week.  I  should  say  there  was  room  for  you  there.  Madden, 
that's  the  man  who  was  shot,  used  to  board  here." 


GETTING  A   JOB.  91 

"  What  is  your  charge  for  boarding,  landlord?  " 

"Seventy-five  cents  a-day  for  three  square  meals;  a  dollar 
a-day  if  you  lodge  as  well.  But  I  could  not  lodge  you  at  pre- 
sent. I  must  keep  a  couple  of  rooms  for  travellers,  and  the 
others  are  full.  But  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  getting 
lodgings  in  the  town.  You  can  get  a  room  for  about  a  dollar 
a-week." 

"  Well,  let  us  try  the  woodyard,  Luscombe." 

"  All  right !  "  Luscombe  said.  "  There  is  a  certain  sense  of 
novelty  about  a  woodyard.  Well,  landlord,  if  we  agree  with 
this  Mr.  Pawson,  we  will  arrange  to  board  with  you,  at  any  rate 
for  the  present." 

They  went  down  the  straggling  street  until  they  came  to  a 
lot  on  which  was  piled  a  quantity  of  sawn  timber  of  various 
dimensions.  The  name  Pawson  was  painted  in  large  letters 
en  the  fence.  A  man  and  a  boy  were  moving  planks. 

"  Here  goes  ! "  Luscombe  said,  and  entered  the  gate. 

"  Want  a  job  ?  "  the  man  asked,  looking  up  as  they  approached 
him. 

"  Yes.  We  are  on  the  look-out  for  a  job,  and  heard  there 
might  be  a  chance  here." 

"  I  am  James  Pawson,"  the  man  said,  "  and  I  want  hands. 
What  wages  do  you  want?  " 

"  As  much  as  we  can  get,"  Luscombe  replied. 

Pawson  looked  them  up  and  down.  "Not  much  accus- 
tomed to  hard  work,  I  reckon?" 

"Not  much,"  Luscombe  said.  "But  we  are  both  pretty 
strong,  and  ready  to  do  our  best." 

"  Well,  I  tell  you  what,"  the  man  said.  "  I  will  give  you  a 
dollar  and  a  half  a-day  for  a  week,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  if 
you  get  through  your  work  well,  I  will  raise  it  to  two  dollars." 

Luscombe  looked  at  Hugh,  who  nodded.  "  All  right !  "  he 
said  ;  "  we  will  try." 

Pawson  gave  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  hands  were  scarce.  "Take 
off  your  coats  then,"  he  said,  "and  set  to  work  right  here, 
There  is  a  lot  to  be  done." 


92  HARD   WORK. 

Luscombe  and  Hugh  took  off  their  coats,  and  were  soon 
hard  at  work  moving  and  piling  planks.  Before  they  had 
been  half  an  hour  at  it  there  was  a  shout,  and  a  waggon  heavily 
laden  with  planks  entered  the  yard.  James  Pawson  himself 
jumped  up  on  to  the  wagon,  and  assisted  the  teamster  to  throw 
down  the  planks,  while  the  other  two  carried  them  away  and 
stacked  them.  Both  of  them  had  rolled  up  their  sleeves  to 
have  a  freer  use  of  their  arms.  The  sun  blazed  hotly  down, 
and  they  were  soon  bathed  in  perspiration.  They  stuck  to 
their  work  until  six  o'clock,  but  by  that  time  their  backs  were 
so  stiff  with  stooping  that  they  could  scarcely  stand  upright, 
and  their  hands  were  blistered  with  the  rough  wood.  Pawsom 
was  well  satisfied  with  their  work. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  you  move  about  pretty  spry,  you  two  do, 
and  handle  the  wood  quicker'n  most.  I  see  you  will  suit  me 
if  I  shall  suit  you ;  so  I  will  make  it  two  dollars  a-day  at  once. 
I  ain't  a  man  that  stints  half  a  dollar  when  I  see  hands  work 
willing." 

"  Well,  that  is  not  a  bad  beginning,  Luscombe,"  Hugh  said 
as  they  went  to  put  on  their  coats. 

"  We  have  earned  a  dollar,  Hugh,"  Luscombe  said,  "  and  we 
have  broken  our  backs  and  blistered  our  hands,  to  say  nothing 
of  losing  three  or  four  pounds  of  solid  flesh." 

"We  did  wrong  to  turn  up  our  sleeves,"  Hugh  said.  "I 
had  no  idea  that  the  sun  was  so  strong.  Why,  my  arms  are  a 
mass  of  blisters." 

"  So  are  mine,"  Luscombe  said  ruefully,  "  and  they  are  be- 
ginning to  smart  furiously.  They  will  be  in  a  nice  state  to- 
morrow." 

"Let  us  stay  at  the  hotel  to-night,  Hugh.  I  feel  so  tired 
that  I  am  sure  I  could  never  set  out  to  look  for  lodgings  afteir 
supper." 

The  next  morning  their  arms  were  literally  raw.  Before  start- 
ing to  work  they  got  some  oil  from  the  landlord  and  rubbed 
them.  "  It  will  be  some  time  before  I  turn  up  my  sleeves  to 
work  again,"  Luscombe  said.  "I  have  had  my  arms  pretty 


A!  DAY'S  REST.  93 

bad  sometimes  after  the  first  long  day's  row  in  sumrrrr,  but 
I  have  never  had  them  like  this." 

They  worked  until  dinner-time,  and  then  Luscombe  went 
up  to  Pawson  and  pulled  up  his  sleeve.  "  I  think,"  he  said, 
"  you  must  let  us  both  knock  off  for  the  day.  We  are  really 
not  fit  to  work.  We  daren't  turn  up  our  sleeves,  and  yet  the 
flannel  rubbing  on  them  makes  them  smart  so  that  we  can  hardly 
work.  Besides,  as  you  said  yesterday,  we  are  not  accustomed 
to  work.  We  are  so  stiff  that  we  are  not  doing  justice  either 
to  ourselves  or  you.  If  you  have  any  particular  job  you  want 
done,  of  course  we  will  come  after  dinner  and  do  it,  but  if  not 
we  would  rather  be  off  altogether." 

"Your  arms  are  bad,"  Pawson  said.  "I  thought  yesterday 
when  you  were  working  that,  being  new-comers,  you  would  feel 
it  a  bit.  Certainly  you  can  knock  off.  You  ain't  fit  for  it  as 
you  are.  Take  it  easy,  boys,  for  a  few  days  till  you  get  accus- 
tomed to  it.  We  ain't  slave-drivers  out  here,  and  I  don't 
expect  nothing  beyond  what  is  reasonable.  I  should  get  my 
arms  well  rubbed  with  oil  at  once ;  then  to-night  wash  the  oil 
off  and  give  them  a  chance  to  harden,  and  in  the  morning 
powder  them  well  with  flour." 

As  soon  as  they  had  had  their  dinner  they  went  out  and 
found  a  room  with  two  beds  in  it,  and  moved  their  small  kits 
across  there.  Then  they  took  a  stroll  round  the  town,  of  which 
they  had  seen  little,  and  then  lay  down  in  the  shade  of  a  thick 
cactus  hedge  and  dozed  all  the  afternoon.  The  next  morning 
they  felt  all  the  better  for  their  rest.  The  inflammation  of 
their  arms  had  greatly  abated,  and  they  were  able  to  work 
briskly. 

"  What  do  you  want  with  that  revolver  of  an  evening,  Hugh, 
when  you  do  not  wear  it  during  the  day  ?  "  Luscombe  asked  as 
he  saw  Hugh  put  his  revolver  in  his  pocket  when  they  went  to 
their  lodgings  for  a  wash,  after  work  was  over  for  the  day. 

"  I  take  off  my  coat  during  the  day,  Luscombe,  and  whatevei 
may  be  the  custom  here  I  think  it  ridiculous  to  see  a  man  at 
work  in  a  woodyard  with  a  revolver  stuck  into  his  pocket  at  the 


94  BORDER   RUFFIANS. 

back  of  his  trousers.  At  night  it  is  different ;  the  pistol  is  not 
noticed  under  the  coat,  and  I  don't  suppose  there  is  a  man 
here  without  one." 

"  I  think  one  is  just  as  safe  without  a  pistol,"  Luscombe  said. 
"Even  these  rowdies  would  hardly  shoot  down  an  unarmed 
man." 

"  They  might  not  if  they  were  sober,"  Hugh  agreed ;  "  but 
most  of  this  shooting  is  done  when  men  are  pretty  nearly  if 
not  quite  tipsy.  I  heard  my  uncle  say  once  '  A  man  may  not 
often  want  to  have  a  revolver  on  him ;  when  he  does  want  a 
revolver  he  wants  it  pretty  badly.' " 

A  few  days  later  they  heard  at  supper  that  three  notorious 
ruffians  had  just  ridden  into  the  place.  "  I  believe  one  of  them 
is  a  mate  of  Buck  Harris,  who  was  shot  here  three  weeks  ago. 
I  hear  he  has  been  in  the  bar  swaggering  about,  and  swearing 
that  he  means  to  wipe  out  every  man  in  the  place  who  had  a 
hand  in  that  business.  The  sheriff  is  away.  He  went  out 
yesterday  with  two  men  to  search  for  a  fellow  who  murdered 
a  man  and  his  wife  somewhere  down  south,  and  who  has  been 
seen  down  in  the  swamps  of  the  East  Fork.  He  may  be  away 
two  or  three  days,  worse  luck.  There  is  the  under-sheriff,  but 
he  isn't  much  good  by  himself.  He  can  fight,  Gilbert  can,  but 
he  never  likes  going  into  a  row  on  his  own  account.  He  will 
back  up  the  sheriff  in  anything  he  does,  but  he  has  got  no  head 
to  take  a  thing  up  by  himself." 

"  But  surely,"  Hugh  said,  "people  are  not  going  to  let  three 
men  terrorize  the  whole  place  and  shoot  and  carry  on  just  as 
they  like." 

"  Well,  mate,  I  don't  suppose  we  like  these  things  more  than 
anyone  else ;  but  I  can  tell  you  that  when  one  of  the  three 
men  is  Dutch  Sam,  and  another  is  Wild  Harvey,  and  the  third 
is  Black  Jake,  it  is  not  the  sort  of  business  as  anyone  takes  to 
kindly,  seeing  that  if  there  is  one  thing  more  tarnal  sartin  than 
another,  it  is  that  each  of  them  is  good  to  lay  out  five  or  six 
men  before  he  goes  under.  When  things  are  like  that  one  puts 
up  with  a  goodish  lot  before  one  kicks.  They  are  three  as  ugly 


ROUGH   FUN.  96 

men  as  there  are  anywhere  along  this  part  of  Texas.  Any 
one  of  them  is  game  to  set  up  a  town  by  himself,  and  when  it 
comes  to  three  of  them  together  I  tell  you  it  would  be  a  game 
in  which  I  certainly  should  not  like  to  take  a  hand.  You  are 
new  to  these  parts,  mate,  or  you  wouldn't  talk  about  it  so  lightly. 
When  you  have  been  out  here  for  a  few  months  you  will  see 
that  it  is  small  blame  to  men  if  they  get  out  of  the  way  when 
two  or  three  fellows  like  this  are  on  the  war-path." 

At  this  moment  there  was  a  sound  of  shouting  and  yelling 
with  a  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs  outside.  Then  came  the  rapid 
discharge  of  firearms,  and  the  three  upper  panes  of  glass  in  the 
window  were  pierced  almost  simultaneously  with  small  round 
holes  in  the  very  centres.  Every  one  bent  down  over  their  plates. 
The  next  shot  might  come  through  the  second  line  of  window 
panes,  in  which  case  they  would  have  taken  effect  among  those 
sitting  at  the  table.  Then  there  was  a  yell  of  laughter,  and 
the  horses  were  heard  to  gallop  furiously  away. 

"  That  is  only  their  fun  at  present,"  one  of  the  men  said. 
"  It  will  be  more  serious  later  on  when  they  have  drunk  enough 
to  be  savage." 

"  I  don't  see  much  fun  in  firing  through  the  windows  of  a 
house,"  Luscombe  said. 

"  Oh,  that  is  nothing  ! "  another  put  in.  "  I  have  seen  a  score 
of  cow-boys  come  into  a  place,  and  half  an  hour  afterwards 
there  wasn't  a  window-pane  that  hadn't  a  round  hole  in  its 
middle.  They  will  shoot  the  hats  off  a  score  of  men ;  that  is  one 
of  their  favourite  amusements.  In  the  first  place  it  shows 
their  skill  with  the  pistol,  and  in  the  next  it  scares  people 
pretty  nigh  to  death,  and  I  have  seen  the  cow-boys  laugh 
until  they  have  nearly  tumbled  off  their  horses  to  see  a  fellow 
jump  and  make  a  straight  line  into  a  house.  Nobody  minds 
the  cow-boys ;  they  are  a  good  sort.  They  are  reckless  enough 
when  they  are  on  a  spree,  but  they  don't  really  mean  to  do 
harm.  They  spend  their  money  freely,  and  they  hate  ruffians 
like  those  three  fellows  outside.  If  it  wasn't  for  cow-boys  the 
bad  men,  as  we  call  them,  would  be  pretty  well  masters  of  Texas. 


96  THE   BEST  THING  TO   DO. 

But  the  cow-boys  hunt  them  down  like  vermin,  and  I 
known  them  hang  or  shoot  over  a  dozen  murderers  and  gain- 
biers  in  one  afternoon.  They  fight  among  themselves  some- 
times pretty  hard.  Perhaps  the  men  on  two  ranches  will 
quarrel,  and  then  if  it  happens  that  a  party  from  one  ranch 
meets  a  party  from  the  other  down  in  a  town,  there  is  sure  to 
be  trouble.  I  remember  one  battle  in  which  there  were  over 
twenty  cow-boys  killed,  besides  six  or  eight  citizens  who  hap- 
pened to  get  in  the  way  of  their  bullets." 

Just  as  they  had  finished  the  meal  a  man  ran  in.  "  Have 
you  heard  the  news?  Dutch  Sam  and  his  party  have  broken 
open  the  door  of  the  under-sheriffs  house,  pulled  him  out,  and 
put  a  dozen  bullets  into  him." 

There  was  an  exclamation  of  indignation.  "  There,"  Hugh 
said,  "  if  the  under-sheriff  had  done  his  duty  and  called  upon 
every  one  to  help  him  to  capture  or  shoot  these  fellows  as  soon 
as  they  came  into  the  town  he  wouldn't  have  lost  his  life,  and 
I  suppose  it  will  have  to  be  done  after  all." 

"  The  best  thing  we  can  do,"  one  of  the  men  said, "  is  to  go 
round  from  house  to  house  and  agree  that  every  man  shall  take 
his  rifle  and  pistol,  and  take  his  stand  at  a  window,  then  we 
will  shoot  them  down  as  they  ride  past." 

"But  that  wouldn't  be  giving  them  a  fair  show,"  another 
objected. 

"  A  fair  show  ! "  the  other  repeated  scornfully.  "  Did  they 
give  the  under-sheriff  a  fair  show?  Do  you  think  they  give 
notice  to  a  man  before  they  shoot  him,  and  ask  him  to  draw 
and  be  fairly  '  heeled '  before  they  draw  a  trigger?  Not  a  bit 
of  it ;  and  I  say  we  ought  to  clear  them  out." 

There  was  a  general  expression  of  approval,  and  after  one 
of  the  party  had  opened  the  door  and  looked  out  cautiously  to 
see  if  the  coast  was  clear,  and  reported  that  none  of  the  desper- 
adoes were  in  sight,  the  party  at  once  scattered.  Luscombe  and 
Hugh  stopped  for  half  an  hour  chatting  with  the  landlord.  The 
latter  did  not  believe  that  the  people  would  attack  the  ruffians. 

"  If  the  sheriff  had  been  here  to  take  the  lead,"  he  said,  "  they 


"IT  SEEMS  TO   ME  A   DISGRACEFUL  THING."  97 

might  have  acted ;  but  as  he  is  away,  I  don't  think  it  likely 
that  anyone  will  draw  a  bead  upon  them.  You  see,  no  one  is 
sure  of  anyone  else,  and  he  knows  that  if  he  were  to  kill  or 
wound  one  of  them  the  others  would  both  be  upon  him.  If  we 
had  a  regular  street  here  with  a  row  of  houses  running  along 
each  side,  so  that  a  volley  could  be  poured  into  them,  it  would 
be  a  different  thing;  but  you  see  the  houses  are  separated, 
some  stand  back  from  the  road,  some  stand  forward  ;  they  are 
all  scattered  like,  and  I  don't  expect  anyone  will  begin.  They 
will  be  in  here  presently,"  he  said,  "  and  they  will  drink  my 
bar  pretty  well  dry,  and  I  don't  expect  I  shall  get  a  dime  for 
the  liquor  they  drink ;  and  that  is  not  the  worst  of  it,  they  are 
like  enough  to  begin  popping  at  the  bottles,  and  smashing  more 
than  they  drink." 

"  Well,  it  seems  to  me  a  disgraceful  thing,"  Hugh  said,  "  that 
a  place  with  something  like  a  hundred  men  in  it  should  be  kept 
down  by  three." 

"  It  sounds  bad  if  you  put  it  that  way,"  the  landlord  agreed ; 
"  but  you  must  remember  that  each  of  these  three  men  could  hit 
every  pip  on  a  card  twenty  yards  away ;  they  each  carry  two 
revolvers,  that  is  to  say,  they  have  got  twelve  men's  lives  in 
their  belt,  and  they  are  so  quick  with  their  weapons  that  they 
could  fire  the  twelve  shots  before  an  ordinary  man  could  get 
out  his  revolver  and  cock  it." 

"Why  not  shut  up  your  place  for  the  night?"  Luscombe 
asked.  "  Then  they  couldn't  come  in  and  drink  your  spirits 
and  wreck  your  bar." 

"They  couldn't,  eh?  Why,  they  would  blow  the  door  open 
with  their  pistols,  and  if  it  was  so  barred  they  couldn't  get  in 
that  way,  they  would  like  enough  burn  the  house  about  my 
ears.  I  have  known  such  things  done  many  a  time." 

"Well,  let  us  get  home,  Hugh,"  Luscombe  said.  " It  seems 
to  me  the  sooner  we  are  quietly  in  bed  the  better.  As  our  room 
is  at  the  back  of  the  house  they  may  fire  away  as  much  as  they 
like  without  a  chance  of  our  being  hit." 

Hugh  put  on  his  hat,  and  the  two  started  down  the  street. 


98  "HERE  HE  COMES." 

They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  the  sound  of  a  horse's 
hoofs  was  heard. 

"  Here  is  one  of  them  ! "  a  voice  shouted  from  an  upper  window. 
"  Run  round  to  the  back  of  the  house,  the  door  is  open  there. 
I  have  heard  two  or  three  pistol  shots,  and  he  will  shoot  you 
down  to  a  certainty." 

"  Come  on,  Hugh,"  Luscombe  said. 

"  You  go  round,  Luscombe,  you  are  unarmed.  I  am  not 
going  to  run  away  from  anyone,"  Hugh  said  doggedly.  "  Go 
on,  man,  it  is  no  use  your  staying  here,  you  have  no  pistol." 

"I  sha'n't  leave  you  by  yourself,"  Luscombe  said  quietly; 
"besides,  here  he  comes." 

Hugh's  hand  had  already  slipped  round  to  his  back,  and 
he  now  had  his  pistol  in  his  hand  in  the  pocket  of  his  coat. 
The  horseman  threw  up  his  arm  as  he  came  along,  and  Hugh 
saw  the  glitter  of  the  moonlight  on  a  pistol  barrel.  Another 
instant  the  pistol  cracked ;  but  Hugh,  the  moment  he  saw  it 
bear  on  him,  dropped  on  to  one  knee,  and  the  ball  struck  the 
wall  just  above  his  head.  He  lifted  his  arm  and  fired,  while 
two  other  shots  rang  out  from  the  window.  The  man  threw 
up  his  hands  and  fell  back  over  the  crupper  of  his  horse  to  the 
ground,  and  the  well-trained  animal  stopped  instantaneously 
in  his  gallop,  and  turning  stood  still  by  his  side. 

"  Come  on,  Luscombe,"  Hugh  said ;  "  the  sooner  we  are  out  of 
this  the  better." 

Before,  however,  they  had  gone  twenty  yards  they  heard  the 
sound  of  two  horses  coming  up  behind  them. 

"  Let  us  get  round  the  corner  of  that  house,  Luscombe.  I 
don't  suppose  they  wil)  pass  those  men  at  the  windows  ;  if  they 
do,  they  will  be  thinking  of  their  own  safety  as  they  gallop 
past  and  won't  notice  us." 

They  had  scarcely  got  round  the  corner  when  there  was  a 
discharge  of  firearms,  and  the  reports  of  the  rifles  were  followed 
by  the  quick  sharp  cracks  of  revolvers.  Then  a  man  dashed 
past  them  at  a  gallop.  One  of  his  arms  hung  by  his  side,  and 
the  reins  were  loose  on  the  horse's  neck. 


When  the  cow-boy  fired.  Hugh  drooped  on  one  knee. 


"THE  ACT  OF  A  MADMAN."  99 

"  I  suppose  they  have  killed  the  other,"  Hugh  said,  "  and 
this  fellow  is  evidently  hit.  Well,  let  us  go  on  to  bed." 

Luscombe  did  not  speak  until  they  reached  their  room.  Hugh 
struck  a  match  and  lighted  a  candle. 

"Well,  you  are  a  nice  lad,  Hugh,"  Luscombe  said.  "I 
thought  you  were  always  against  quarrels,  and  wanted  nothing 
but  to  go  on  with  your  work  peaceably,  and  here  you  are 
throwing  yourself  into  this  and  standing  the  chance  of  being 
shot,  as  if  you  had  been  righting  ruffians  all  your  life." 

"It  was  he  attacked  me,"  Hugh  said.  "I  didn't  fire  first. 
I  gave  him  no  provocation,  and  was  not  going  to  run  away 
when  I  was  armed.  It  is  you  ought  to  be  blamed,  stopping 
there  to  be  shot  at  when  you  had  no  weapon.  I  call  it  the  act 
of  a  madman.  Well,  there  is  nothing  more  to  say  about  it,  so 
let  us  get  into  bed." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

A   HORSE   DEAL. 

\  FTER  having  been  at  work  for  a  week  Hugh  and  Luscombe 
**•  found  it  come  comparatively  easy  to  them.  Their  hands 
had  hardened,  and  their  back  and  legs  no  longer  ached  with  the 
exertion  of  stooping  and  lifting  planks  and  beams.  They  had 
now  got  the  yard  into  order :  the  various  lengths  and  thick- 
nesses of  planks  piled  together,  and  also  the  various  sized 
timber  for  the  framework  of  the  houses.  Their  work  was  now 
more  varied.  The  dray  had,  of  course,  to  be  unloaded  oh  its 
arrival  from  the  mills  and  its  contents  stowed  away,  and  as 
soon  as  James  Pawson  found  that  his  new  hands  could  be 
trusted  to  see  after  things  he  left  them  pretty  much  to  them- 
selves, going  up  himself  to  the  mill,  of  which  he  was  part 
owner.  It  now  fell  to  them  to  keep  an  account  of  the  out- 
goings, to  see  that  the  planks  they  handed  over  to  purchasers 
were  of  the  right  lengths  and  thicknesses,  and  also  to  saw  the 
wood-work  of  the  frames  for  the  houses  into  their  required 
lengths. 

All  this  afforded  a  change,  and  gave  them  an  interest  in  their 
work,  and  they  came  to  know  a  good  many,  not  only  of  those 
living  in  the  town,  but  men  who  were  taking  up  ground  in 
the  neighbourhood,  and  who  came  in  with  their  teams  for 
planks  and  shingles  to  construct  the  rough  houses  which  were 
to  shelter  them  until,  at  any  pate,  they  got  their  land  under 
cultivation  and  things  began  to  prosper.  Three  months  after 
their  arrival  Luscombe  began  to  show  signs  of  getting  wearied 
of  the  work.  Hugh  was  quick  to  notice  it. 


LUSCOMBE    IS   RESTLESS.  101 

"  I  can  see  you  are  getting  tired  qf  •  it,"  he  said  one  Sunday 
as  they  started  for  a  walk  to  a  small  r-?,nch<;  three  mites. -a>vsy, 
whose  owner  had  been  buying  wood  for  a  cow-house,  and  had 
asked  them  to  come  over  for  dinner.  "  You  didn't  mean  me  to 
see  it,  but  I  know  that  it  is  so." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  am  tired,  Hugh ;  but  I  feel  a  restless 
sort  of  feeling." 

"  Well,  my  dear  Luscombe,  I  don't  want  you  to  feel  that  you 
are  in  any  way  bound  here  on  my  account.  We  agreed  that 
from  the  first,  you  know.  It  was  a  great  thing  our  being 
together  at  first ;  but  now  the  ice  is  broken  we  have  fallen  into 
the  groove,  and  can  either  of  us  shoulder  our  kits  and  go  where 
we  like  in  search  of  a  job.  We  are  no  longer  fresh  from  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic." 

"I  shall  carry  out  my  idea  of  enlisting,"  Luscombe  said. 
"There  is  a  military  post  at  Fort  M'Kayett.  I  can  strike 
down  by  road  to  Meridian.  I  can  get  waggons  as  far  as  that, 
pick  up  a  horse  for  a  few  dollars  there,  and  then  make  my  way 
down  until  I  strike  the  Colorado  River,  and,  crossing  that,  bear 
west,  stopping  at  cattle  ranches  until  I  get  to  the  fort.  I  shall 
be  happier  as  a  trooper  than  at  any  other  work.  Of  course  the 
pay  is  not  high,  but  that  does  not  matter  a  rap  to  me  ;  it  goes 
further  here  than  it  does  at  home,  and  there  is  not  much  use 
for  money  out  on  the  plains.  They  say  the  Indians  are  very 
troublesome,  and  there  will  be  some  excitement  in  the  life, 
while  here  there  is  none.  I  don't  like  leaving  you,  Hugh. 
That  is  the  only  drawback." 

"  Don't  let  that  stop  you,"  Hugh  said.  "  Of  course  I  shall 
be  very  sorry  when  you  go  ;  but  as  you  have  your  plans  and  I 
have  none,  it  would  come  at  any  rate  before  long ;  and,  as  I 
have  said,  now  that  I  have  got  over  the  feeling  of  strangeness, 
I  don't  suppose  that  I  shall  stay  here  long  after  you  have  left." 

The  following  day  Luscombe  told  his  employer  that  he  should 
leave  at  the  end  of  the  week. 

"  I  am  sorry  you  are  going,"  he  said ;  "but  I  expected  that 
you  would  be  on  the  move  before  long.  That  is  the  worst  of 


102L  ......  A   CHANGE. 

it  out  here— nobody  sticks  to  a  job.  However,  I  cannot  blame 
you  j  'you  have  stopped,  a  good  bit  longer  than  they  generally 
do.  And  are  you  going  too?  "  he  asked,  turning  to  Hugh. 

"  Not  just  yet,"  Hugh  replied  ;  "  but  I  do  think  of  going  in 
another  week  or  two.  You  see,  boss,  one  is  not  learning  any- 
thing here." 

"  That's  so.  Say,  would  you  like  to  go  up  to  the  mill  for  a 
bit  ?  That  is  different  sort  of  work,  and,  as  you  say,  you  would 
be  learning  something.  One  of  the  men  jammed  his  hand  om 
Saturday,  and  won't  be  fit  for  that  kind  of  work  for  some  time, 
BO  as  your  mate  is  going  off  at  the  end  of  the  week  you  cam  go 
up  there  if  you  like." 

Hugh  gladly  accepted  the  offer.  He  would  have  felt  it  very 
dull  without  Luscombe,  but  by  going  to  a  different  sort  of  work 
he  would  feel  his  companion's  departure  less  hardly.  He  would 
have  much  to  learn,  and  be  among  new  companions,  and  have 
much  to  attend  to.  So  at  the  end  of  the  week  Luscombe  set 
out  upon  his  long  journey  to  Fort  M'Kayett,  and  on  Monday 
morning  Hugh  started  for  the  saw-mill  at  daybreak  in  a  waggon 
that  had  come  in  on  Saturday  afternoon  with  timber.  James 
Pawson  had  told  him  that  he  had  spoken  to  the  foreman  about 
him,  and  the  latter  would  know  what  to  do  with  him.  The  team 
consisted  of  two  fine  mules  in  the  shafts  and  two  horses  ahead. 

"  Climb  up,"  the  driver  said.  "  We  shall  go  a  goodish  pace 
till  we  get  to  the  hills.  That  is  right — hold  on  ! " 

As  he  cracked  his  whip  the  animals  started  at  a  trot,  and 
presently  broke  into  a  gallop.  The  road  was  nothing  but  a 
track  across  the  country,  and  Hugh  held  on  to  the  seat,  expect- 
ing every  moment  to  be  jerked  off.  The  track  was  as  hard  as 
iron,  but  the  passages  of  the  waggons  in  wet  weather  had  worn 
deep  holes  and  ruts  in  it,  and  Hugh  thought  it  was  a  miracle 
that  the  waggon  did  not  upset  and  smash  to  pieces,  as  the  wheels 
went  down  first  on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other,  and  the  whole 
framework  creaked  and  quivered  with  the  shock.  At  the  end 
of  about  three  miles  the  animals  slackened  their  pace,  to  Hugh's 
intense  relief. 


PETE  AND   BOB.  103 

"  That's  just  their  little  play,"  the  driver  said.  "  They  know 
they  won't  get  a  chance  again  to-day,  and  they  generally  lay 
themselves  down  for  a  gallop  where  it  is  good  going." 

"  Do  you  call  that  good  going?  "  Hugh  asked  in  astonishment. 

"  Sartin.  Why,  it  is  level  ground,  and  not  a  water-course  to 
go  over  !  You  don't  expect  a  railway  track,  graded  and  levelled, 
doyer?" 

Hugh  hastened  to  say  that  he  entertained  no  such  extra- 
vagant ideas. 

"  This  road  ain't  nowhere,  so  to  speak,  real  bad,"  the  driver 
went  on ;  "  that  is,  not  for  a  hill  road.  I  don't  say  as  there 
ain't  some  baddish  places,  but  nothing  to  what  I  have  driven 
teams  over." 

The  animals  had  now  dropped  down  into  a  walk,  although, 
so  far  as  Hugh  could  see,  the  track  was  no  worse  than  that 
which  they  had  been  hitherto  following. 

"  The  critters  are  just  getting  their  breath,"  the  driver  said 
as  he  proceeded  to  light  his  pipe.  "  They  have  had  their  fling, 
and  now  they  are  settling  down  to  the  day's  work.  They 
know  as  well  as  I  do  what  they  have  got  before  them.  Don't 
you,  Pete?" 

The  mule  addressed  lifted  one  of  its  long  ears  and  partly 
turned  his  head  round. 

"  They  are  fine  mules,"  Hugh  remarked. 

"You  will  see  bigger  than  them.  Them's  Mexicans,  and 
they  have  wonderful  big  mules  in  Northern  Mexico.  I  have 
seen  them  standing  a  hand  higher  than  these.  But  Pete  and 
Bob  are  good  mules.  They  would  be  better  if  they  were  a  bit 
heavier  when  it  comes  to  a  dead  pull,  but  except  for  that  I 
would  as  lief  have  them  as  the  biggest." 

"Are  they  better  than  horses?" 

"  Better'n  horses  ?  You  bet !  Why,  I  would  rather  have  a 
pair  of  mules  than  three  pair  of  horses.  Why,  for  steady  work 
and  for  stay  and  for  strength  there  ain't  no  comparison  between 
a  mule  and  a  horse.  Why,  that  pair  of  mules  is  worth  twice 
as  much  as  the  best  pair  of  horses  you  could  find  in  Texas 


104  "THEY  HAVE  THEIR  TEMPERS." 

except,  of  course,  picked  horses  for  riding.  If  you  pay  a 
hundred  dollars  for  a  horse  you  have  paid  a  long  price  in  this 
country,  but  that  pair  of  mules  wouldn't  be  dear  at  eight  hun- 
dred for  the  two  of  them.  There  is  no  trouble  with  mules : 
they  won't  stray  far  when  you  turn  them  out;  they  won't 
stampede — not  if  they  are  properly  trained.  Why,  there  is  as 
much  sense  in  a  mule  as  there  is  in  a  score  of  horses,  and 
the  horses  know  it  themselves.  If  there  is  a  mule  turned  out 
among  a  troop  of  horses  he  takes  the  lead  natural,  and  they 
will  follow  him  wherever  he  goes,  knowing  right  well  that  he 
has  got  more  sense  than  they  have.  Besides,  mules  seem  to 
get  fond  of  each  other,  and  you  don't  see  horses  do  that 
In  a  round-up  the  team  horses  will  just  mix  up  with  the  others. 
You  don't  see  two  of  them  keep  together  or  have  any  sort  of 
friendship ;  but  if  there  are  a  pair  of  mules  among  the  lot  you 
will  see  them  keep  together." 

"  I  had  an  idea  that  mules  were  obstinate  beasts." 
"  I  won't  deny  as  they  have  their  tempers  sometimes,  but  in 
most  cases  it  comes  from  their  getting  into  bad  hands.  But 
treat  a  mule  well  and  he  will,  in  general,  do  his  best.  When 
they  once  find  they  have  got  a  job  beyond  them  they  ain't 
going  to  break  their  hearts  by  trying  to  do  it ;  and  if  they  are 
treated  bad  when  there  is  no  call  for  it  then  they  puts  up  their 
backs  and  won't  stir  another  foot,  and  when  they  makes  up 
their  minds  to  that  you  may  kill  them  and  they  won't  do  it 
then;  but  treat  a  mule  fair  and  kind  and  there  is  no  better 
beast  in  the  world.  You  know  all  about  it,  Pete,  don't  you  ?  " 
and  he  gave  the  animal  a  slight  flick  on  the  neck  with  his 
whip,  to  which  it  replied  by  throwing  up  its  hind-quarters 
and  giving  a  playful  kick,  which  caused  Hugh,  whose  legs 
were  hanging  down  over  the  front  of  the  waggon,  to  withdraw 
them  hastily.  "You  are  a  rascal,  Pete,"  the  driver  said. 
"Come,  now,  you  have  all  got  your  winds.  Just  sharpen 
up  a  bit  till  you  get  among  the  hills." 

As  if  they  understood  what  he  said,  the  mules  threw  their 
weight  on  the  traces,  broke  into  a  slow  trot,  and  the  crack 


A  SAW-MILL.  105 

of  the  driver's  whip  woke  the  leaders  into  activity.  This  pace 
was  not  kept  up  long,  for  the  ground  had  now  begun  to  rise. 
They  presently  entered  a  valley  between  two  spurs  of  the  hills, 
and  soon  began  to  mount  by  a  rough  road.  This  became 
steeper  and  steeper,  and  Hugh  was  glad  to  get  off  and  walk  in 
front.  At  times  the  track  they  had  to  cross  was  bare  rock, 
so  smooth  and  slippery  that  the  animals  could  scarcely  keep 
their  feet  and  drag  up  the  waggon.  Then  they  wound 
along  on  the  side  of  a  hill,  the  ground  on  one  side  being  so 
much  higher  than  on  the  other  that  it  seemed  to  Hugh  that  a 
loaded  waggon  would  infallibly  topple  over  and  go  rolling  down 
into  the  valley  below.  Sometimes  they  descended  sharply  into 
some  lateral  ravine  cut  by  a  stream,  and  climbed  up  the  other 
side.  The  hills  now  were  covered  with  a  growth  of  small  trees 
and  brushwood — the  larger  timber  had  already  been  felled.  At 
last  the  waggon  turned  up  the  bed  of  a  stream  running  through 
a  rocky  gorge. 

"  Here  we  are/'  the  driver  said ;  and  fifty  yards  further  they 
came  upon  the  saw-mill — a  roughly-built  structure,  with  a  water- 
wheel.  A  low  log-hut  stood  beside  it.  Beyond,  the  valley 
opened  out.  At  the  upper  end  its  sides  far  up  the  hills  were 
covered  with  trees,  but  the  woodman's  axe  had  already  stripped 
the  lower  part  of  the  valley  of  all  its  timber  trees.  A  dam 
had  been  built  across  the  stream  and  a  leat  cut  to  the  water- 
wheel,  which  was  sunk  five  or  six  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
ground  around  it,  and  the  tail-race  continued  nearly  down  to 
the  mouth  of  the  gorge,  where  the  water  fell  again  into  the 
old  bed  of  the  stream.  The  wheel  was  revolving,  and  the 
sound  of  the  machinery  inside  the  mill  deadened  that  of  the 
mules  and  waggon,  but  a  shrill  whistle  from  the  driver  brought 
a  man  to  the  door.  He  nodded  to  Hugh.  "  You  are  the  new 
hand  the  boss  spoke  of,  I  suppose?  Well,  Clarkson,  have  you 
brought  the  things  we  wanted?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  the  list  is  complete.  I  gave  it  to  the  old  man, 
and  he  had  all  the  things  on  board  the  first  thing  this  morning. 
Here  they  are  :  six  pounds  of  tea,  a  barrel  of  pork,  sack  of  flour, 


106  COMMISSIONS. 

keg  of  molasses,  twenty  pounds  of  sugar.  Here  is  a  box  of 
dried  apples,  and  the  two  cross-cut  saws.  He  will  see  about 
a  grindstone.  He  thinks  you  might  make  that  one  last  a  bit 
longer." 

"  It  was  pretty  well  worn  out  when  it  was  put  up,"  the  fore- 
man grumbled.  "  It  ain't  fit  to  grind  axes  on.  I  told  the  boss 
the  other  day  that  it  had  cost  him  ten  times  its  vally  already, 
because  the  men  couldn't  keep  a  sharp  edge  on  their  tools 
with  it." 

"Well,  you  know,  Ben,  grindstones  don't  grow  down  in 
M'Kinney,  and  he  has  got  to  get  them  sent  out  from  Missouri." 

"  If  he  had  to  get  them  from  China  he  might  have  had  one 
here  by  this  time,"  the  foreman  grumbled.  "  Have  you  got 
that  bag  of  iron  dogs  I  wanted?" 

"  No.  There  warn't  one  to  be  had  in  M'Kinney.  The  old 
man  told  me  to  tell  you  he  wrote  off  on  Saturday  to  Little 
Rock  and  told  them  to  express  them  on." 

A  negro  now  came  out  from  the  hut  and  began  to  carry  the 
provisions  in,  and  Hugh  followed  the  foreman  into  the  mill. 
There  was  another  man  there.  One  side  of  the  mill  was  open 
to  a  yard  behind,  in  which  lay  the  logs  as  brought  down  by 
the  team.  These  were  placed  on  rollers,  and  so  run  into  the 
mill.  One  end  of  the  log  was  then  lifted  by  a  screw-jack  until 
level  with  the  saw-bench.  Here  it  was  packed  up,  and  the 
jack  then  taken  to  the  other  end.  The  machinery  consisted 
solely  of  one  large  circular  saw  and  of  another  of  smaller  size. 
The  water-power  would  not  have  been  sufficient  to  drive  frame- 
saws, and  the  whole  work  had  to  be  done  with  the  circular 
saws.  The  mill  was  not  large,  but  it  sufficed  for  the  wants  of 
M'Kinney  and  the  neighbourhood,  and  two  waggon-loads  of 
planks  were  sent  down  daily.  Three  axemen,  who  felled  and 
squared  the  trees,  and  a  teamster  with  four  horses  to  drag  the 
balks  down  to  the  mill  completed  the  establishment. 

Hugh  soon  found  that  the  work  was  far  more  interesting 
than  it  had  been  in  the  woodyard.  It  needed  a  good  deal  of 
skill  to  handle  the  heavy  pieces  of  timber  and  get  them  upon 


PRIMITIVE  MACHINERY.  107 

the  saw-bench,  although  they  were  cross-cut  by  the  woodmen 
into  lengths  suitable  for  planks.  Then  the  great  saw  cut  the 
balks  into  planks  three  inches  wide.  These  were  taken  to 
the  smaller  saw,  which  ran  them  down  into  half,  three-quarter, 
or  inch  planks,  as  required.  The  benches  were  of  a  primitive 
description,  the  balks  being  laid  on  fixed  rollers,  and  the  neces- 
sary movement  given  to  them  by  a  rope  passed  through  blocks 
and  taken  round  a  shaft,  which,  as  it  revolved,  wound  up  the 
rope  and  brought  the  logs  forward  against  the  saw. 

The  noise  at  first  of  the  saws  and  of  the  water-wheel  and 
its  machinery  almost  deafened  Hugh,  but  he  soon  ceased  to 
notice  it.  He  found  that  his  duties  were  of  a  general  kind. 
He  assisted  in  raising  the  logs  to  their  place  and  in  getting 
them  properly  placed  on  the  rollers,  and  then  he  helped  to  fix 
the  blocks  and  pulleys,  to  remove  the  planks  as  they  were  cut 
off,  and  to  work  the  log  back  to  its  place  in  readiness  for 
another  plank  to  be  cut  from  it.  The  small  saw  required  one 
man's  constant  attention,  as  the  three-inch  planks  were  simply 
pushed  forward  by  hand  against  it,  being  kept  in  their  true 
position  by  guides. 

"  You  have  got  to  be  careful  when  you  get  near  the  end," 
the  foreman  said  to  him,  "  or  you  will  find  yourself  without  a 
finger  or  two  in  no  time.  When  you  get  to  within  a  foot  of 
the  end  you  must  not  push  the  plank  any  further,  but  go  to 
the  other  end  of  the  saw  and  pull  it  to  you.  It  is  a  pretty 
rough  business  altogether,  but  it  will  only  last  another  few 
Months.  There  are  not  enough  trees  to  supply  it  longer  than 
that.  Pawson  has  bought  up  another  place  a  bit  further 
among  the  hills,  and  he  has  ordered  better  plant  than  this, 
and  reckons  it  will  be  up  and  ready  to  run  by  the  time  we  are 
done  here.  This  place  ain't  fit  for  carrying  on  much  trade. 
When  it  was  put  up  ,two  years  ago  there  were  but  few  people 
about  on  the  plain,  and  a  waggon-load  a  week  was  about  the 
outside  Pawson  could  get  rid  of.  I  have  been  here  from  the 
first.  In  those  days  we  used  to  work  with  our  rifles  handy, 
for  there  was  always  a  chance  of  an  attack  by  Indians, 


10S 

but  the  country  has  grown  so  much  since  then  that  the  Indians 
moved  further  north,  and  don't  bother  us.  Ah  !  there  is  Joe's 
dinner-bell." 

Hugh,  following  the  example  of  the  others,  went  down 
to  the  mill-stream  and  gave  his  hands  a  rinse,  dried  them  on 
a  towel  hanging  from  a  nail  on  the  door  of  a  hut,  and  then 
went  in.  In  five  minutes  the  whole  party  were  assembled,  and 
took  their  seats  on  benches  beside  a  long  narrow  table.  The 
negro  cook  brought  in  bowls  of  pea-soup.  This  was  followed 
by  boiled  pork  and  potatoes,  and  then  came  a  great  dish  of 
dried  apples,  boiled,  with  molasses  poured  over  them. 

"  We  get  our  board  up  here,"  the  foreman,  who  had  placed 
Hugh  beside  him,  said.  "  I  suppose  the  boss  told  you?" 

"Yes,  he  said  I  should  get  forty  dollars  a  month,  and  my 
grub." 

"  That's  it.  It  is  better  pay  than  you  can  get  on  a  farm 
below,  but  it  is  harder  work,  and  lonesome ;  besides,  unless 
you  are  careful,  you  run  a  pretty  good  risk  of  an  accident. 
There  have  been  eight  or  ten  fellows  hurt  here  since  we  began. 
It  is  healthy  among  the  hills,  and  we  don't  get  fevers,  and  it 
is  cool  enough  to  sleep  comfortably  at  night  even  in  summer, 
but  in  winter  it  is  cold,  I  can  tell  you.  The  old  man  feeds  us 
pretty  well,  I  must  say  that  for  him,  and  he  is  as  good  a  boss 
as  there  is  about  here." 

Hugh  liked  the  life,  the  keen  mountain  air  braced  him  up, 
and  every  day  he  found  it  more  and  more  easy  to  do  his  share 
of  the  work  of  moving  the  heavy  balks.  The  men  as  a  whole 
were  pleasant  fellows,  and  of  an  evening  Hugh  listened  with 
great  interest  to  the  stories  they  told  as  they  smoked  their 
pipes.  It  was  wonderful  how  many  occupations  most  of  them 
had  followed.  Two  of  them  had  been  mining  in  California 
before  they  came  down  to  Texas ;  one  of  them  had  been  work- 
ing with  teams  across  the  Santa  F£  route ;  another,  named 
Bill  Royce,  had  been  a  sailor,  had  deserted  his  ship  at  Galves- 
ton,  had  enlisted  and  served  for  three  years  at  a  cavalry  post 
west,  had  deserted  again,  had  worked  for  two  years  as  a  cow- 


"SCARED  PRETTY  NIGH  TO  DEATH."  109 

boy  on  one  of  the  Texan  ranches,  had  gone  down  into  Mexico 
and  worked  at  a  ranche  there,  had  come  up  by  sea  to  Gal- 
veston,  working  his  passage,  had  served  as  a  farm  hand  for  a 
few  months,  and  then,  after  various  experiences,  had  come  to 
M'Kinney  when  there  were  only  three  or  four  houses  there. 

Another  of  the  men  had  also  worked  as  a  cow-boy,  but  his 
experience  had  been  but  a  short  one. 

"  I  stopped  just  a  week  at  it,"  he  said,  "  and  what  with 
being  thrown  off  a  horse  twenty  times  a  day,  and  what  with 
the  work,  and  what  with  the  goings-on  of  tne  boys,  I  had 
enough  of  it  by  that  time.  I  had  been  in  one  or  two  Indian 
fights,  and  I  didn't  feel  scared  then,  but  those  cow-boys  scared 
me  pretty  nigh  to  death.  The  way  they  let  off  their  pistols 
was  a  caution.  Four  or  five  times,  when  I  was  sitting  quiet, 
smoking,  bang  !  and  a  revolver  bullet  would  knock  my  pipe 
into  chips,  and  then  they  laughed  fit  to  kill  themselves  when 
I  got  up  and  swore.  Then  without  the  least  reason,  someone, 
as  we  were  all  sitting  round  the  fire,  would  take  it  into  his 
head  to  hit  a  little  bit  of  flaming  wood,  then  half  a  dozen  others 
would  go  at  it,  and  the  bits  of  fire  would  be  sent  flying  in  all 
directions,  and  how  it  was  that  none  of  them  got  killed  was 
more  than  I  could  make  out.  I  stood  it  for  the  week,  and 
then  I  weakened.  I  had  got  that  nervous  that  I  would  jump 
if  a  fellow  moved  suddenly,  and  I  concluded  that  I  was  not 
made  the  same  way  as  the  cow-boys,  and  had  better  quit  and 
take  to  some  other  job." 

"  I  reckon  you  were  about  right  there,"  Bill  Royce  said. 
"  Anyone  as  is  thinking  of  going  for  a  cow-boy,  had  best  know 
how  to  ride,  how  to  throw  a  rope,  and  how  to  draw  his  pistol  as 
quick  as  lightning,  before  he  begins." 

The  next  day  Hugh  asked  the  teamster  to  bring  him  up 
from  the  town  a  rope,  such  as  the  cow-herders  used. 

"  This  will  do,"  Bill  Royce  said,  as  he  examined  it.  "  The  cow- 
boys and  Mexicans  both  use  ropes  sometimes,  but  they  chiefly 
make  them  themselves  from  strips  of  raw  hide,  which  they  work 
and  grease  until  they  run  almost  as  easy  as  if  they  were  made 


110  TRAINING   FOR   THE   PLAINS. 

of  silk.  Yes,  this  is  the  right  length,  forty  feet.  Some  men 
will  use  fifty,  and  I  have  known  Mexicans  who  would  throw  a 
sixty-foot  length  with  certainty;  but  that  is  quite  out  of  the 
way ;  forty  feet  is  the  right  length.  I  will  splice  one  end  into 
an  eye  for  you,  the  other  goes  through  it,  and  makes  a  running 
noose.  When  you  throw  it,  the  loop  is  three  or  four  feet  across. 
Of  course,  the  better  you  can  throw,  the  smaller  you  can  have 
the  loop,  and  the  smaller  it  is  the  better,  for  the  jerk  comes 
all  the  quicker  before  the  horse  or  steer  is  prepared  for  it. 
Now,  you  see  that  stump  of  a  young  tree  sticking  up  two  feet 
above  the  ground.  Well,  you  form  your  loop,  and  you  gather 
the  rest  in  coils  in  your  hand  like  this,  and  you  stand,  to  begin 
with,  twenty  feet  away,  and  you  cast  the  loop  over  the  stump 
—so." 

Of  an  evening,  when  supper  was  over,  Hugh  went  out  and 
practised  with  the  rope,  and  at.  the  end  of  a  month  found  that 
he  could  throw  it  at  a  distance  of  thirty  feet  with  a  fair  cer- 
tainty of  dropping  the  loop  over  the  stump.  He  also  took 
Royce's  advice  as  to  the  pistol.  He  had  laid  it  by  since  arriv- 
ing at  M'Kinney ;  but  he  now  got  a  belt  similar  to  those  worn  by 
the  cow-boys,  and  took  to  carrying  the  pistol  in  it,  but  unloaded, 
and  at  odd  moments  practised  drawing  from  the  belt,  levelling 
it,  and  pulling  the  trigger  with  the  greatest  possible  speed. 
The  action  seemed  simple  enough,  but  he  was  surprised  to  find 
how,  with  practice,  the  time  taken  in  doing  it  diminished,  and 
his  fingers  came  to  close  upon  the  handle  in  exactly  the  right 
position  almost  instantaneously,  and  as  his  hand  shot  out,  his 
thumb  drew  back  the  hammer,  and  his  forefinger  closed  OB 
the  trigger.  All  this  he  had  practised  before,  more  or  less, 
when  he  had  learned  to  use  the  weapon  in  the  conservatory  at 
Byrneside,  but  at  that  time  it  had  not  appeared  probable  the 
accomplishment  would  be  of  any  use.  Now  he  knew  that  his 
life  might  depend  upon  it,  and  he  came  in  time  to  be  able  to 
perform  it,  with,  as  Royce  had  said,  something  of  the  sleight 
of  hand  of  a  conjurer. 

He  devoted  the  whole  of  his  spare  time  to  practising  with 


THE  MILL  IS  CLOSED.  Ill 

the  pistol  and  rope,  and  by  the  time  that  summer  had  gone 
Hugh  was  able  to  throw  the  rope  with  certainty  over  any  fixed 
object  within  reach,  and  to  draw  his  revolver  with  a  quickness 
that  astounded  Bill  Royce. 

"  I  have  seen  a  lot  of  pistol  shooting,"  the  latter  said,  "  since 
I  came  out  west — cow-boys  and  Mexicans,  and  horse-thieves 
and  such  like,  but  I  have  never  seen  one  draw  as  quick  as  you 
do,  and  there  are  many  as  draws  quick.  You  shoot  fair,  but 
nothing  out  of  the  way.  There's  many  a  cow-boy  kin  shoot  a 
sight  straighter,  but  for  quick  drawing  you  are  wonderful,  and 
that  is  the  great  thing.  When  one  fellow  gets  his  pistol  out, 
the  other  has  got  to  cave  in." 

The  valley  was  now  pretty  well  cleared  of  its  trees,  and  the 
party  prepared  to  go  down  to  M'Kinney  for  the  winter.  The 
wood-cutters  were  to  move  at  once  to  the  new  location,  and  to 
begin  to  fell  trees,  and  as  soon  as  the  snow  fell  deep  the  teams 
would  go  up  and  drag  them  down  to  the  new  saw-mill,  for  the 
timber  is  hauled  down  much  more  easily  over  the  snow  than 
over  the  rough  ground  in  summer.  Thus  there  would  be  a  big 
stock  in  readiness  when  the  thaw  came,  and  the  mill  began 
to  work  in  the  spring. 

Hugh  was  not  sorry  when  the  work  of  the  mill  came  to  an 
end.  He  had  determined  to  remain  until  the  season  closed, 
and  he  was  glad  he  had  done  so.  The  time  had  been  by 
no  means  lost.  He  had  learned  a  good  deal  as  to  the  ways 
and  character  of  the  men  with  whom  he  should  have  to  asso- 
ciate. He  had  from  one  or  other  of  them  picked  up  a  great 
deal  of  knowledge  about  the  country,  and  knew  the  best 
places  for  making  a  start,  the  towns  from  which  most  of  the 
teams  started,  and  the  localities  that  were  best  to  make  for  in 
order  to  gain  the  heart  of  the  cattle  country.  He  had  learned  to 
throw  a  rope  with  enough  dexterity  to  aid  him  materially  in 
any  work  he  might  undertake  among  cattle  or  horses,  and  his 
constant  practice  with  his  revolver  gave  him  a  confidence  in 
himself,  and  in  his  ability  to  hold  his  own  in  the  wild  life  of 
the  plains  and  mountains. 


112  BILL  ROYCE'S  ADVICE. 

In  the  nine  months  which  had  elapsed  since  he  left  England 
he  had  gained  strength,  had  become  manly  and  self-reliant, 
and  felt  that  his  apprenticeship  had  been  of  great  value  to 
him.  The  first  thing  to  do  after  he  came  down  to  M'Kinney, 
was  to  look  out  for  a  horse.  He  had  been  put  up  to  a  useful 
wrinkle  in  this  respect  by  Bill  Royce.  "  You  be  careful  about 
any  horse  trade  you  make.  Bet  your  boots  that  any  horse 
that  is  offered  to  you  here  is  stolen,  and  you  would  get  into 
one  of  the  awkwardest  of  scrapes  if  you  chanced  to  go  into  a 
district  where  that  hone  is  known.  They  don't  trouble  them- 
selves to  ask  many  questions  over  a  stolen  horse.  If  you  buy 
a  horse,  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  go  before  a  justice,  or  the 
sheriff  will  do ;  pay  your  money  before  him,  and  get  him  to 
sign  his  name  as  a  witness  to  the  bargain.  His  fee  will  be 
one  or  two  dollars,  and  you  could  not  lay  out  the  money 
better.  Men  ain't  altogether  unreasonable  even  where  a  horse 
is  concerned,  and  a  paper  issued  from  a  sheriffs  office  certifying 
that  you  had  bought  the  horse,  and  paid  a  fair  price  for  it, 
might  save  your  neck  from  a  noose.  You  may  ride  a  stolen 
horse  all  your  life,  and  never  happen  to  light  on  the  place  he 
was  taken  from ;  but  if  you  do  happen  to  light  on  it,  you  may 
find  yourself  in  a  tight  corner." 

Hugh  put  up  at  the  hotel,  and  having  told  the  landlord  that 
he  was  on  the  look-out  for  a  horse,  the  latter  told  him  one 
evening,  when  he  returned  from  a  visit  to  some  friends  at  a 
farm,  that  two  men  had  come  in  an  hour  before,  and  had  said 
they  had  a  good  horse  to  dispose  of.  Bill  Royce  was  sitting 
in  the  saloon  when  Hugh  went  in. 

"  I  dropped  in  to  see  you,  Hugh.  I  saw  two  fellows  come 
in  an  hour  ago  on  two  likely-looking  horses  and  they  were 
leading  two  others,  one  of  which  seemed  to  me  as  good  a  bit 
of  horse  flesh  as  I  have  seen  fur  a  long  time.  I  expect  they 
are  on  for  a  trade.  The  horse  is  a  mustang ;  I  don't  expect 
they  come  by  it  honest,  but  that  ain't  your  business,  and  you 
will  get  it  cheaper  than  if  they  had.  Go  slow  in  bargaining  ; 
don't  you  let  out  you  really  want  him." 


HARD  MEN.  113 

Presently  two  men  came  in.  They  were  dressed  in  broad 
hats,  red  shirts,  over  which  they  wore  jackets  with  silver 
buttons,  breeches  made  of  a  soft  leather,  and  high  boots. 
They  wore  bright-coloured  sashes  round  the  waist. 

"  They  look  pretty  hard,"  Bill  Royce  said  quietly ;  "  they  may 
be  anything.  They  are  not  regular  cow-boys,  but  they  may  have 
been  working  on  a  ranche ;  they  may  have  been  prospecting ; 
they  may  be  horse-thieves ;  they  may  be  regular  border  ruffians ; 
anyhow,  they  have  got  a  horse  to  sell.  Maybe  they  have  stole 
it  from  a  ranche ;  maybe  they  have  got  it  from  the  Indians ; 
maybe  they  have  wiped  out  its  owner.  You  will  be  able  to 
tell  pretty  well  by  the  price  they  want  for  it.  He  would  be 
cheap  at  two  hundred  dollars  if  he  is  anything  like  as  good  as 
he  looks.  If  they  will  take  anything  under  that  it  is  because 
they  daren't  keep  him." 

After  standing  at  the  bar  and  talking  for  some  time  to  the 
landlord,  one  of  the  men  came  across  to  Hugh. 

"  I  hear  you  are  looking  for  a  horse." 

"  Yes,  I  am  wanting  to  buy  one  if  I  find  one  to  suit  me  at 
my  price." 

"  I  have  a  horse  to  trade  that  would  suit  anyone,  and  as  to 
its  price,  I  am  ready  to  let  him  go  a  bargain." 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  look  at  him,"  Hugh  said. 

"  Well,  he  is  in  the  stable  now." 

"  Yes ;  but  I  should  want  to  see  him  by  daylight,  get  on  his 
back,  and  try  him." 

"  Look  here,"  the  man  said.  "  Me  and  my  mate  are  pressed 
for  time.  Perhaps  we  have  got  an  appointment  with  the  pre- 
sident, perhaps  we  haven't ;  anyhow,  we  want  to  go  on.  We 
have  got  two  spare  horses,  and  we  don't  wish  to  bother  with 
them  no  further." 

"  Well,  I  will  look  at  the  horse  now,"  Hugh  said,  and,  accom- 
panied by  Bill  Royce,  he  followed  the  man  to  the  stables. 
Two  horses  were  standing,  ready  saddled  and  bridled,  hitched 
to  hooks  outside  the  shed.  Inside  were  two  others.  One 
was  an  ordinary-looking  horse,  bony  and  angular.  A  pack- 


114  A   BARGAIN. 

saddle  hung  on  a  beam  close  by.  He  had  evidently  been  used 
for  carrying  baggage.  The  other  was  a  handsome  roan,  which 
snorted  angrily  as  they  approached  with  lanterns. 

"That  is  something  like  a  horse,"  the  man  said.  "Five 
years  old,  strong,  and  up  to  anything,  clean-limbed,  full  of 
courage,  and  fast." 

"  He  has  got  a  temper,"  Hugh  said  as  the  horse  laid  back  his 
ears  and  made  a  sudden  and  vicious  snap  at  the  man's  hand. 

"  He  is  a  bit  playful,"  the  man  said. 

"Well,  I  don't  like  buying  him  without  trying  him,"  Hugh 
said.  "  He  may  be  up  to  all  sorts  of  tricks,  and  may  kick  his 
saddle  over  his  head.  What  do  you  want  for  him?  " 

"  I  tell  you  what,"  the  man  said.  "  That  horse  would  be 
dirt  cheap  at  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  but  as  I  have  told 
you  we  want  to  be  moving  on,  and  I  will  sell  him  for  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty.  I  would  rather  put  a  bullet  through  his  head 
than  let  him  go  for  less  than  that." 

"Well,  let  us  go  back  into  the  saloon  and  talk  it  over," 
Hugh  said.  "  It  is  a  rum  way  to  buy  a  horse,  but  I  like  his 
looks." 

The  other  man  was  still  standing  at  the  bar  when  they 
entered.  Hugh,  knowing  that  it  would  be  an  unheard-of  thing 
to  buy  a  horse  without  the  ceremony  of  taking  drinks  being 
performed,  went  to  the  bar  and  ordered  them  for  the  four. 
"  If  I  buy  that  horse,"  he  said,  "  it  will  be  on  one  condition. 
You  see  I  don't  know  where  he  has  come  from.  The  man  you 
got  him  from  may  have  stolen  him,  and  I  might  happen  to  come 
across  the  former  owner,  and  I  haven't  any  fancy  for  being 
strung  up  as  a  horse-thief." 

"  You  don't  mean,  stranger,  to  say  as  we  have  stolen  him  ?  " 
one  of  the  men  said  angrily. 

"  Not  at  all.  It  may  have  gone  through  half  a  dozen  hands 
before  it  came  into  yours,  and  yet  it  may  have  been  stolen. 
Of  course,  if  you  know  anyone  here  who  can  guarantee  that 
you  raised  the  horse,  or  have  owned  him  for  a  couple  of  years, 
I  shall  be  quite  content;  but  if  you  don't,  you  can  hardly 


WITNESSING    A    DEAL.  115 

expect  me  to  take  your  word  any  more  than  I  should  expect 
them  to  take  my  word  if  a  party  were  to  ride  up  to  me  and 
accuse  me  of  stealing  it.  That  is  right  enough,  isn't  it,  land- 
lord?" 

"  I  don't  see  as  there  is  anything  to  be  said  against  that," 
the  landlord  said.  "It  is  a  mighty  unpleasant  thing  in  this 
country  to  be  found  riding  on  the  back  of  a  horse  that  has 
mayhap  been  stolen." 

"  What  I  propose  is  this,"  Hugh  went  on.  "  Seeing  that 
these  gentlemen  are  strangers  here,  I  propose  that  I  should  call 
in  the  sheriff  and  James  Pawson,  who  is  a  justice,  and  that  they 
should  witness  the  sale  and  give  me  a  signed  paper  saying  that 
they  know  me  as  a  resident  here,  and  that  I  have  in  then- 
presence  bought  this  horse.  I  don't  think  there  is  anything 
unreasonable  in  that.  If  at  any  time  I  am  held  up  for  stealing 
it  I  can  show  this  paper,  and  if  they  doubt  it  they  can  write  to 
the  sheriff  here,  and  find  that  it  is  genuine." 

The  two  men  exchanged  a  few  words  together  in  a  low 
voice,  and  then  the  one  who  had  shown  the  horse  said,  "  Well, 
I  reckon  that  is  a  fair  enough  offer.  We  know  we  came  by 
the  horse  honestly,  but  as  we  are  strangers  it  is  right  enough 
you  should  be  cautious.  Bring  your  sheriff  along,  and  let's  be 
done  with  it." 

"  I  will  fetch  the  sheriff  across,"  Royce  said,  "  if  you  go  over 
to  Pawson's,  Hugh." 

In  five  minutes  they  returned  with  the  two  men.  The  sheriff 
looked  sharply  at  the  two  horse-dealers.  They  were  unknowa 
to  him. 

"  Will  you  give  me  my  belt,  landlord  ?  "  Hugh  said. 

The  landlord  went  out,  and  returned  with  Hugh's  belt,  which 
had  been  locked  up  in  his  chest  since  Hugh  arrived  in  the 
town.  The  latter  counted  out  150  dollars  in  gold. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  the  sheriff  said.  "  I  must  see  the  horse 
first,  and  see  what  brand  is  on  him.  I  cannot  describe  the  horse 
unless  I  see  him." 

Again   taking  lanterns  the   party  went   out  to  the   stable. 


116  "RIGHT  AND  SQUARE." 

The  horse  had  been  branded  with  a  circle  in  which  was  the 
letter  E.  There  was  no  other  mark  on  him.  The  sheriff 
brought  across  with  him  some  official  paper,  and  returning 
to  the  bar  wrote  :  "  I  bear  witness  to  the  purchase  by" — and 
he  paused — "Hugh  Tunstall,"  Hugh  put  in,— "who  is  well 
known  to  me  as  having  been  working  for  six  months  in  and 
near  the  town,  of  a  roan  horse  branded  0  of " — "  of  Jake 
Wittingham,"  the  man  said — "  and  to  the  passing  of  payment 
for  the  same."  The  sheriff  then  added  his  name,  writing 
under  it,  "  Sheriff  of  M'Kinney  County,"  and  James  Pawson 
added  his  signature  with  the  word  "Judge." 

"That  is  right  and  square,"  the  sheriff  said.  "Now,  hand 
over  the  money  and  the  trade  is  done." 

"  I  will  throw  in  the  other  horse  for  twenty  dollars." 

"  I  will  take  it,"  Hugh  said ;  and  adding  this  sum  to  that  he 
had  counted  out,  handed  it  over  to  the  men. 

"  If  you  will  just  step  over  with  me,  Hugh,"  the  sheriff  said, 
"  I  will  put  my  official  seal  to  that  paper.  I  have  not  a  doubt," 
he  went  on  as  they  left  the  saloon,  "  that  those  two  fellows 
have  stolen  that  horse.  They  would  never  have  sold  him  for 
that  money  had  they  come  by  him  honestly.  I  should  have 
been  glad  to  buy  him  myself  for  anything  like  that  price.  I 
don't  know  the  men,  and  I  reckon  I  know  most  of  the  rogues 
for  a  hundred  miles  round  here ;  so  that,  if  it  has  been  stolen, 
it  has  probably  been  brought  a  good  distance.  I  shouldn't  be 
surprised  if  there  has  been  murder  as  well  as  robbery.  If  I 
knew  the  men  I  would  seize  them  and  have  them  searched ; 
but  as  I  have  never  seen  them  before,  and  know  nothing  against 
them,  I  cannot  do  that.  I  think  it  is  a  very  good  idea  of  yours 
getting  me  in  to  witness  the  sale.  That  horse  might  get  you 
into  serious  trouble  if  you  could  not  prove  that  you  came  by  it 
honestly." 

He  had  now  reached  his  house,  and  proceeded  to  stamp  the 
document  with  the  official  seal.  "  You  may  as  well  put  your 
signature  to  this,"  he  said,  "and  I  will  witness  it.  Then  if 
there  is  any  question  about  your  being  Hugh  Tunstall  you 


A   SATISFACTORY   PURCHASE.  117 

would  only  have  to  sign  your  name  and  they  would  see  that 
you  are  the  man  mentioned.  That  is  right;  my  fee  is  two 
dollars." 

Hugh  gladly  paid  the  money,  and  putting  the  document  in 
his  pocket  returned  to  the  hotel. 

"  Those  fellows  have  just  ridden  off,"  Royce  said  when  he 
entered.  "  Pretty  hard  couple  that.  I  wonder  where  they 
got  that  horse.  Nowhere  about  here,  or  the  sheriff  would  have 
known  it ;  a  horse  like  that  would  be  sure  to  catch  the  eye." 

The  next  morning  Hugh  got  up  early  to  inspect  his  pur- 
chase. The  horse  again  made  hostile  demonstrations  when 
he  approached  it ;  but,  talking  to  it  quietly,  Hugh  went  into 
the  stall,  patted  and  soothed  it.  When  it  had  quieted  down 
he  took  the  head-rope  and  led  it  out  into  the  yard. 

"  You  are  a  beauty,"  he  said ;  "  there  is  no  mistake  about 
that,"  and,  tying  it  up  to  a  post,  he  walked  round  it.  "  Well 
put  together,  plenty  of  muscle,  fine  bone,  and  splendid  quarters. 
What  a  hunter  you  would  make  if  I  had  you  at  home !  "  The 
landlord  came  out  as  he  was  admiring  the  animal. 

"A  mustang,"  he  said;  "bigger  than  they  usually  run  a 
good  bit,  and  a  beauty  all  over ;  he  is  worth  double  what  you 
gave  for  him.  This  is  not  much  of  a  horse  country ;  if  you 
had  him  down  south  you  could  get  three  hundred  for  him  any 
day.  I  expect  those  fellows  were  afraid  to  take  him  down 
there  ;  too  well  known,  I  reckon.  Look  here,  I  will  give  you 
a  paper  too ;  and  if  I  were  you  I  would  get  another  from  Paw- 
son,  saying  that  you  have  been  working  for  him  at  his  saw- 
mill, and  that  he  recommends  you  as  a  good  hand  at  that  work. 
You  can't  have  too  many  certificates  as  to  who  you  are  when 
you  are  riding  on  an  animal  like  that  in  this  country.  If  you 
want  a  saddle  and  bridle,  Jim  Hoskings  has  got  one  to  sell ;  he 
was  speaking  to  me  about  it  a  fortnight  ago." 

Half  an  hour  later  Hugh  became  the  owner  of  a  saddle  and 
bridle.  The  former  was  made  in  the  Texan  fashion,  which 
closely  resembles  the  Mexican,  being  very  heavy,  and  with 
high  peak  and  cantle. 


A  TEXAN   SADDLE. 

"  I  hardly  see  how  a  man  can  be  thrown  off  a  horse  with 
such  a  saddle  as  this,"  Hugh  said  as  he  examined  it ;  "  one 
would  be  boxed  in  before  and  behind." 

"Wait  till  you  get  on  a  bad  bucking  horse,"  the  man  said 
with  a  smile.  "  You  won't  wonder  about  it  then." 

Carrying  it  back  to  the  hotel  Hugh  saddled  his  horse  and 
mounted.  He  felt  strange  and  uncomfortable  at  first,  for  the 
stirrup-leathers  were  placed  much  further  back  than  those  to 
which  he  was  accustomed.  The  stirrups  were  very  large  and 
broad,  and  the  position  of  the  stirrup-leathers  rendered  it 
necessary  for  him  to  ride  almost  with  a  straight  leg,  so  that 
his  grip  was  with  his  thighs  instead  of  his  knees. 

"  I  shall  get  accustomed  to  him  in  time,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"but  at  present  I  feel  as  if  I  was  riding  barebacked.  Well, 
I  had  plenty  of  practice  at  that,  so  I  ought  to  be  able  to  stick 
on."  He  rode  at  a  quiet  pace  down  the  street,  and  then  shook 
the  reins,  and  the  horse  at  once  started  at  a  hand-gallop. 
Hugh  was  delighted  with  his  pace,  which  was  wonderfully 
smooth  and  easy,  and  returned  in  an  hour  fully  satisfied  with 
his  purchase. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AMONG    THE  COW-BOYS. 

TI7ELL,  now  you  have  got  your  horses  and  outfit,  Hugh, 
»*  what  air  you  going  to  do  next?"  Bill  Royce  said,  after 
the  rest  of  the  party  had  got  up  from  breakfast  and  gone  out. 

"  I  don't  quite  know,  Bill,"  Hugh  laughed ;  "  I  thought  of 
going  teaming,  but  I  am  afraid  my  horse  has  spoilt  me  for 
that." 

"Well,  so  I  should  say." 

"  I  should  like  to  be  my  own  master  for  a  bit,"  Hugh  went 
on,  "  and  do  some  shooting  and  hunting  on  the  plains,  work 
across  to  Sante  Fe",  and  then  take  anything  that  turns  up. 
I  have  got  three  hundred  dollars  in  cash ;  that  will  last  me  for 
a  long  time.  But  I  don't  like  striking  out  for  myself,  I  know 
nothing  of  the  country  or  the  life.  What  do  you  say  to  going 
with  me,  Bill?" 

"  That  is  just  what  I  have  been  turning  over  in  my  mind," 
Bill  said.  "  I  know  the  plains  powerful  well,  and  have  been 
hunting  and  shooting  there  for  months.  I  was  saying  to 
myself,  as  like  enough  you  would  be  thinking  of  striking  out 
for  a  bit  afore  you  settled  down  again  to  anything,  and  you 
would  be  wanting  some  one  with  you  as  could  put  you  up 
to  the  ropes.  I  have  got  pretty  sick  of  working  here,  but  I 
have  spent  my  money  as  fast  as  I  have  got  it,  and  cannot 
afford  to  get  an  outfit ;  so  I  said  to  myself,  if  Hugh  likes  to 
start  me  with  an  outfit  I  think  it  would  be  about  square, 
seeing  as  he  knows  nothing  of  the  country,  and  I  could  put 
him  straight  there.  We  have  worked  together  for  a  bit,  and  I 


120  OUT   ON  THE   PLAINS. 

reckon  we  would  get  on  first-rate.  So  if  that  would  suit  you 
it  would  just  suit  me." 

"  It  suits  me  capitally,  Bill ;  nothing  could  be  better ;  it  is 
just  what  I  wanted.  I  don't  suppose  I  should  ever  have  gone 
by  myself,  but  with  you  it  would  be  the  very  thing  to  suit  me. 
There's  my  hand  on  it." 

In  another  three  days  then*  preparations  were  made.  Bill 
knew  of  a  horse  that  could  be  picked  up  for  forty  dollars ;  two 
rifles  were  bought,  a  saddle  and  bridle  for  Bill,  and  saddle-bags 
for  the  spare  horse.  A  large  stock  of  ammunition  was  laid  in ; 
fifty  pounds  of  flour,  a  few  pounds  of  tea  and  sugar,  four  blan- 
kets, and  a  few  odds  and  ends,  completed  the  outfit.  Royce 
had  already  a  revolver,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day 
they  started  from  M'Kinney,  striking  nearly  due  south,  so 
as  to  work  round  the  range  of  hills.  For  the  first  few  days 
they  passed  occasional  settlements,  and  then  struck  out  across 
an  open  country. 

"  Now  we  may  begin  to  look  out  for  game,"  Royce  said. 
"You  can  shoot,  I  suppose,  Hugh?" 

"  I  have  had  no  practice  whatever  with  the  rifle,  but  I  am  a 
pretty  good  shot  with  a  shot-gun." 

"  You  will  soon  pick  it  up,  anyhow,"  Royce  said ;  "  anyone 
who  can  shoot  as  you  do  with  a  Colt,  is  sure  to  shoot  pretty 
straight  with  a  rifle." 

For  the  next  four  months  Hugh  and  his  companion  wan- 
dered over  the  plains,  and  Hugh  enjoyed  the  life  immensely. 
They  had  directed  their  course  toward  the  south-west,  for 
winter  was  setting  in  when  they  started,  and  as  the  cold  is 
sometimes  severe  in  Northern  Texas,  they  made  down  towards 
the  Mexican  frontier,  and  there  enjoyed  delightful  weather. 
They  found  an  abundance  of  game,  and  could  have  shot  any 
/lumber  of  deer,  but  they  were  useless  to  them,  except  for  food. 
Herds  of  wild  horses  were  sometimes  seen,  and  occasionally,  in 
quiet  valleys,  they  came  across  half-wild  cattle,  which  had 
strayed  away  from  far-distant  ranches.  It  was  strange  to  Hugh 
to  travel  thus  at  will,  to  wander  freely  in  whichever  direction 


A   FIRST   EXPERIMENT.  121 

fancy  led  them;  sometimes  passing  a  week  or  two  without 
seeing  any  other  human  being ;  sometimes  stopping  for  a  night 
at  the  camp-fire  of  a  party  of  cow-boys ;  sometimes  bivouacking 
with  a  wandering  hunter  like  themselves,  or  with  a  ranch- 
man in  search  of  stray  animals.  During  this  time  their  ex- 
penses had  been  next  to  nothing,  their  sole  outlay  being  for 
flour,  tea,  and  sugar,  and  even  these  they  generally  obtained  in 
exchange  for  venison  or  other  game. 

Hugh  had  learned  to  use  his  rope  with  considerable  skill  on 
horseback,  for  as  soon  as  he  got  fairly  away  on  the  plains  he 
had  begun  to  practise.  The  first  time  he  tried  it  upon  his  com- 
panion he  would  have  given  him  a  very  heavy  fall,  had  not  Bill 
reined  in  his  horse  on  to  its  haunches  as  soon  as  the  rope  fell 
over  his  shoulders ;  for  Prince,  as  Hugh  called  his  horse,  was 
thoroughly  up  in  his  work.  The  instant  the  rope  had  been 
thrown  he  stopped  and  braced  himself,  with  his  fore-legs  ex- 
tended, to  meet  the  shock,  and  had  it  not  been  for  Bill's  quick- 
ness he  would  in  an  instant  have  been  torn  from  the  saddle. 

"  Thunder  !  "  the  latter  exclaimed.  "  Do  you  want  to  break 
my  neck,  Hugh?" 

"  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it !  "  Hugh  protested.  "  Prince 
nearly  sent  me  over  his  head.  I  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
pulling  him  in,  and  was  perfectly  taken  aback  by  his  playing 
me  that  trick." 

"  We  ought  to  have  thought  of  it,"  Bill  said.  "  It  was  dead 
sure  he  would  be  trained  to  the  work.  The  idea  flashed  across 
me  just  as  the  rope  came  down,  and  lucky  it  was  so.  Well,  you 
will  find  plenty  of  other  things  to  practise  on  as  we  go  along. 
There  are  cattle  enough  running  about  here  without  owners, 
and  if  you  come  across  a  bunch  of  wild  horses  you  can  give 
chase  and  rope  some  of  the  young  ones  ;  and  there  are  coyotes, 
they  will  give  you  plenty  of  sport  that  way." 

Hugh  had  used  all  these  opportunities,  and  had  come  to 
throw  the  noose  over  the  head  of  a  flying  animal  as  well  as 
Bill  Royce  himself  could  do,  but  as  yet  he  was  unable  to  throw 
the  rope  round  their  legs  with  any  certainty.  As  the  spring 


122  "IT  AIN'T  GOING  TO  BE  LIKE  THIS." 

approached  Hugh  proposed  that  instead  of  carrying  out  their 
plan  of  going  to  Santa  Fe"  they  should  for  a  time  take  service 
on  a  ranche. 

"  I  enjoy  this  life  immensely,  Bill,  and  I  should  like  to 
become  thoroughly  up  to  all  the  work.  At  present  I  am  what 
you  call  a  tender-foot,  and  I  should  certainly  like  to  have  a 
few  months  among  the  cow-boys." 

"  Just  as  well  do  that  as  anything  else,"  Bill  said.  "  It  is 
always  handy  to  know  that  you  can  hold  your  own  in  a  round- 
up and  know  the  ways  of  cattle,  and  I  tell  you  that  there  is 
plenty  to  learn.  But,  mind  you,  it  ain't  going  to  be  like  this 
time  we've  been  having.  There's  no  fooling  about  a  cow-boy's 
life  :  it  is  just  about  the  hardest  life  there  is.  However,  it 
won't  be  as  hard  for  you  as  it  is  for  most  fellows.  You  can 
ride,  though  there  ain't  much  merit  in  sitting  on  that  horse 
of  yours.  Still  I  see  you  know  your  way  among  horses,  and 
you  have  taught  him  to  come  to  you  when  you  whistle,  and  to 
do  pretty  nigh  everything  you  want  him  to ;  but  you  will  find 
it  a  mighty  different  thing  when  you  get  on  the  back  of  a 
broncho.  However,  it  is  worth  learning  to  ride  a  horse  that  has 
never  been  backed.  Anyhow,  I  am  with  you.  I  have  had  a 
spell  at  it,  and  don't  mind  having  another ;  and  there  is  one 
thing — you  can  quit  when  you  like." 

"  But  how  about  this  horse  ?  I  should  not  like  to  give  up 
Prince." 

"  Well,  you  could  do  as  you  like  about  that.  Each  cow-boy 
has  six  or  eight  horses — sometimes  he  has  as  many  as  a  dozen — 
and  he  just  ropes  one  out  of  the  crowd  and  rides  him  as  he  has 
a  fancy ;  so  you  could  let  Prince  run  with  the  rest  and  use  him 
when  you  liked,  or  you  could  leave  him  at  the  headquarters 
station." 

"What  do  they  want  such  a  lot  of  horses  for?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  They  want  them  to  do  the  work,"  Bill  said.  "  A  man  can 
go  on  pretty  nigh  for  ever,  but  a  horse  can't.  You  will  find 
that  you  can  use  up  six  horses  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  and 
they  want  a  day  to  rest  before  they  are  fit  for  work  again. 


A  RANCHE   STATION.  123 

Well,  they  will  be  starting  on  their  round-up  soon,  so  we  may 
as  well  head  in  their  direction  so  as  to  get  taken  on  before  they 
are  full.  I  was  working  in  the  O  triangle  ranch e  two  years  ago ; 
their  station  ain't  above  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  where 
we  are.  The  boss  wasn't  a  bad  sort.  We  may  as  well  go  there 
as  to  another." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  the  O  triangle,  Bill? " 

"  That  is  their  brand — a  circle  in  a  triangle.  We  call  them 
always  by  their  brands.  They  have  all  sorts  of  names  of  their 
own,  but  they  are  never  known  by  them.  There  is  the  O 
triangle,  and  the  double  A,  and  the  cross  T's,  and  the  dia- 
mond square,  and  the  half-circles,  and  a  dozen  others.  Well, 
we  will  head  that  way  to-morrow  morning.  I  don't  know  that 
I  shall  be  sorry  to  be  in  a  crowd  again  for  a  bit.  It  gets  lone- 
some when  there  are  only  two  of  you  after  a  while." 

Hugh  was  beginning  to  feel  this  also.  Their  subjects  of  con- 
versation had  long  been  exhausted,  and  after  the  events  of  the 
day's  hunting  had  been  discussed  there  was  little  for  them  to 
talk  about  as  they  sat  by  their  fire. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  day  they  arrived  at  the  head- 
quarters station  of  the  ranche.  It  consisted  of  a  long,  low 
building,  which  formed  the  storehouse  and  general  room.  Near 
it  was  the  manager's  house,  and  behind  the  barracks  for  the 
men.  A  short  distance  away  was  a  fence  which  inclosed  fifty 
or  sixty  acres  of  ground.  Here  were  some  of  the  more  valuable 
of  the  animals :  some  handsome  bulls  and  a  couple  of  dozen 
good  horses.  Three  or  four  waggons  stood  near  the  huts,  and  a 
number  of  horses  were  grazing  about  over  the  country.  The 
huts  themselves  lay  in  a  hollow,  down  which  a  small  belt  of 
trees  extended.  A  score  of  men  were  standing  or  sitting  near 
the  huts,  and  as  many  more  came  out  as  the  new-comers  rode 
up.  One  or  two  of  these  recognized  Bill  Royce. 

"  Hello,  Bill !  "  one  of  them  said  ;  "  back  again  !  I  thought 
you  had  got  rubbed  out.  Where  have  you  been  all  this  time  ?  " 

"  Been  down  in  Mexico,  and  then  back  among  the  settlements, 
got  tired  of  it,  and  here  I  am.  Been  hunting  last.  This  is  my 


124  ENGAGED. 

mate,  gentlemen.  He  is  a  good  sort,  a  Britisher,  and  his  name 
is  Hugh.  Now,  you  are  properly  introduced  !  " 

"  Glad  to  see  you  ! "  the  man  said,  holding  out  his  hand  to 
Hugh.  "  Come  to  pay  us  a  visit?  " 

"No.     I  have  come  to  work,  if  I  can  get  work,"  Hugh  said. 

"  Oh,  there's  plenty  of  work.  Well,  get  off  your  horse. 
He  is  a  good  un,  he  is  !  "  Such  was  evidently  the  opinion  of 
the  rest  of  the  cow-boys,  for  they  gathered  round  and  made 
remarks  on  Prince's  points.  "  He  is  too  good  for  this  sort  of 
work  altogether,  leastways  for  most  of  it,  though  he  would  do 
well  enough  for  scouting  round  and  hunting  for  cattle  among 
the  foot-hills.  Where  did  you  get  him? " 

"I  bought  him  at  M'Kinney,"  Hugh  said.  "Two  fellows 
came  along  with  him  and  wanted  to  sell  bad,  so  I  got  him  a 
bargain." 

"  I  expect  he  didn't  cost  them  much,"  the  man  said.  "Well, 
it  is  all  right  as  long  as  you  don't  fall  across  the  chap  he  was 
stolen  from.  If  you  do,  there  will  be  a  good  many  questions 
asked,  I  can  tell  you.  I  guess  he  came  from  some  Mexican 
ranche  down  south.  You  don't  often  see  such  a  bit  of  horseflesh 
about  here." 

"  Here  is  the  boss,  Hugh,"  Bill  said ;  "  we  may  as  well  speak 
to  him  at  once  ; "  and  they  walked  together  to  a  man  who  had 
just  come  out  from  the  manager's  house. 

"  Have  you  got  room  for  two  hands?"  Bill  asked.  "  I  was 
here  a  couple  of  years  back ;  my  mate  is  new  at  this  work,  but 
he  can  ride  and  shoot  and  throw  a  rope." 

"  Oh,  it's  you,  Bill,  is  it  ?  Yes,  I  can  put  you  both  on ;  I  am 
not  quite  full  yet.  Forty  dollars  a  month  for  you ;  thirty  for 
your  mate  till  he  learns  his  business." 

"  That  will  suit,"  Bill  said.  "  He  won't  be  long  before  he 
gets  up  to  the  forty." 

"  He  will  find  it  hard  work  at  first,"  the  manager  said ;  "  but 
he  doesn't  look  as  if  that  would  hurt  him." 

Bill  and  his  companion  now  rejoined  the  group  of  cow-boys, 
while  the  manager  went  into  the  store.  Hugh  looked  with 


AMONG  THE   COW-BOYS.  125 

Interest  at  the  men  who  were  to  be  his  associates  for  some  time. 
Their  dress  was  similar  to  that  of  all  the  cow-boys  he  had  met 
while  hunting.  They  wore  hats  with  a  very  wide,  straight 
brim,  and  made  of  a  stiff  felt  almost  as  hard  as  a  board.  Most 
of  them  wore  a  cord  of  gold  or  silver  mixed  with  colour 
round  it.  All  wore  flannel  shirts,  with  a  handkerchief — which 
in  the  majority  of  cases  was  of  silk — round  their  throats. 
Round  the  waist  they  wore  a  Mexican  sash  of  bright  colour. 
Their  trousers  were  either  of  thick  material,  or  of  very  soft 
tanned  leather,  and  over  these  were  chaperajos  or  Mexican  over- 
alls, with  a  coloured  fringe  down  the  outside  seam.  A  few  had 
jackets  on,  and  these  had  also  tufts  of  coloured  fringe  on  the 
seams  of  the  arms.  They  were  most  of  them  spare,  active  men, 
without  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh.  They  were  quiet  in 
manner,  with  little  of  the  reckless  jollity  of  the  ordinary 
frontiersman.  Hugh  was  particularly  struck  with  the  keen, 
watchful  expression  of  their  eyes,  the  result  of  long  nights  of 
watching  and  of  days  spent  on  horseback  in  search  of  stray 
animals,  and  of  danger  from  Indians.  All  carried  a  revolver 
on  the  hip  or  hind  pocket,  had  a  long  knife  stuck  in  their 
sash,  and  wore  high  boots  cut  away  behind  at  the  bend  of  the 
knee,  but  coming  several  inches  higher  in  front. 

Following  Bill's  example,  Hugh  unsaddled  his  horse.  "  Go 
off,  old  boy  ! "  he  said,  giving  him  a  pat ;  and  Prince  walked 
leisurely  away  accompanied  by  his  two  companions,  who  always 
kept  near  to  him. 

"  We  cannot  offer  you  a  drink,"  one  of  the  cow-boys  said  to 
Hugh.  "  No  liquor  is  allowed  on  the  ranche.  It  comes  rather 
hard  at  first,  but  it  is  best  for  us  all.". 

"  I  have  touched  nothing  for  the  last  four  months  but  tea," 
Hugh  said,  "and  don't  care  for  spirits  anyway." 

"  It  would  be  a  good  thing  if  none  of  us  did,"  the  other 
said ;  "  but  one  must  do  something  when  one  goes  down  to  a 
town."  Just  at  this  moment  a  bell  began  to  ring.  "  There  is 
supper,"  the  man  said. 

There  was  a  general  movement  into  the  large  hut.    Here  long 


126  A  COW-BOY'S  MOUNTS. 

tables  were  laid  out,  and  dishes  piled  up  with  meat,  and  great 
platters  of  potatoes,  were  ranged  along  at  short  intervals.  Hugh 
was  gifted  with  an  excellent  appetite,  but  he  was  astonished 
at  the  way  in  which  the  food  disappeared.  The  meal  was 
accompanied  by  a  supply  of  very  fair  bread  fresh  from  the 
oven,  and  tea  with  milk. 

"  Ewart  keeps  a  few  cows  down  here,"  the  man  next  to 
Hugh  said  in  answer  to  his  remark  about  his  not  having  seen 
milk  for  three  months.  "  Of  course  we  don't  get  it  at  the  o*t- 
stations." 

"  Who  is  Ewart?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  Oh,  he  is  boss  j  we  don't  have  any  misters  out  here — one 
man  is  as  good  as  another.  You  have  just  arrived  here  at  the 
right  time.  We  have  been  driving  in  the  horses  from  the 
ranche  for  the  last  three  days,  and  to-morrow  we  are  going  to 
begin  breaking  them.  Of  course  a  good  many  of  them  were 
ridden  last  year,  but  there  are  a  lot  of  bronchos  among  them. 
We  have  got  a  broncho-breaker  out  here." 

A  broncho,  Hugh  knew,  was  a  horse  that  had  never  beea 
ridden.  "  How  do  you  do  about  horses  ?  "  he  said. 

"  Well,  three  or  four  of  those  that  have  been  ridden  before 
are  told  off  to  each  man.  Then,  if  anyone  fancies  a  broncho, 
he  can  take  him  and  break  him  for  himself.  Then  men  can 
swop  with  each  other.  You  see  some  men  ride  better  than 
others.  Some  men  like  quiet  mounts ;  others  don't  mind  what 
they  sit  on ;  and  you  see  the  best  horses  are  very  often  the 
most  full  of  tricks.  You  ride  your  horses  as  you  like,  but 
everyone  keeps  his  quietest  for  night  watches.  You  must 
have  a  quiet  horse  for  that,  for  if  your  horse  was  to  begin  to 
play  tricks  he  would  stampede  the  cattle,  sure." 

"  I  suppose  after  they  have  been  ridden  one  s«ason  they  are 
quiet  enough?"  Hugh  said. 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  the  man  replied.  "  Some  of  them  seem 
to  get  wickeder  and  wickeder.  They  get  a  bit  better  towards 
the  end  of  the  season,  but  six  months'  running  wild  does  away 
with  all  that.  I  would  just  as  soon  take  my  chance  with  a 


THE    BARRACKS.  127 

fresh  broken  broncho  as  with  one  that  has  been  ridden  before. 
They  are  wilder,  you  know,  but  not  so  cunning.  An  old  horse 
seems  to  spend  most  of  his  time  in  thinking  what  game  he 
shall  be  up  to  next,  and  when  you  see  one  walking  along  as  if 
he  had  never  done  anything  but  walk  along  all  his  time,  just 
look  out,  or  you  will  find  yourself  six  feet  up  in  the  air." 

Supper  over,  pipes  were  lighted,  and  Hugh  listened  with 
great  interest  to  the  talk  going  on  around  him.  Some  of  the 
men  had  been  on  the  ranche  all  the  winter ;  others  had  been 
away,  some  back  in  the  settlements,  others  in  New  Mexico, 
where  they  had  been  either  loitering  away  their  time  in  the 
towns  or  working  on  Mexican  ranches.  Hugh  was  struck  with 
the  quiet  way  in  which  they  talked,  the  absence  of  argu- 
ment, and  the  air  of  attention  with  which  each  speaker  was 
listened  to.  He  thought  he  had  never  been  among  a  more 
quiet  set  of  men,  and  wondered  if  these  could  be  really  the 
cow-boys  of  whose  wild  doings  he  had  heard  such  tales. 

Gradually  one  by  one  they  lounged  off  to  the  hut  behind, 
and  he  and  Bill  soon  went  off  also.  It  consisted  of  one 
room  about  sixty  feet  long.  A  stove  with  a  huge  fire  burned 
in  the  middle,  for  the  nights  were  cold.  Down  both  sides  and 
along  the  ends  extended  a  double  row  of  bunks.  In  the  great 
majority  of  these  lay  blankets,  showing  that  they  were  occu- 
pied. Choosing  two  empty  ones,  they  placed  the  blankets  and 
other  articles  they  had  taken  from  their  saddles  in  them,  put 
their  belongings  under  their  heads,  rolled  themselves  in  their 
blankets,  and  were  soon  sound  asleep.  The  first  thing  next 
morning  they  handed  over  to  the  storekeeper  the  remainder 
£>f  their  flour,  tea,  and  sugar.  The  value  of  these  was  credited 
to  them,  and  they  took  out  the  amount  in  a  couple  of  pairs  of 
chaperajos,  two  cow-boy  hats  and  two  pairs  of  high  boots, 
paying  the  balance  in  cash ;  they  then  joined  the  cow-boys. 
These  were  gathered  in  an  inclosure  with  a  very  strong  fence 
adjoining  the  fenced-in  ground. 

Several  cow-boys  rode  off  as  they  entered,  and  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  a  mob  of  horses  was  seen  approaching,  the  men 


128  "NOW,  UP  YOU  GO!" 

riding  behind  cracking  their  whips  and  yelling  at  the  top  of 
their  voices.  The  gates  were  opened,  and  a  couple  of  minutes 
later  the  horses  rushed  in.  There  were  some  forty  or  fifty 
of  them,  and  of  these  about  two- thirds  were  branded.  In  the 
first  place  the  others  were  speedily  roped  both  by  the  head  and 
hind  legs.  Four  cow-boys  hung  on  to  the  ropes  while  another 
approached  with  a  heated  brand  and  applied  it  to  the  animals' 
hind  quarters,  the  horses  kicking  and  struggling  wildly.  As 
soon  as  the  operation,  which  lasted  but  a  second  or  two,  was 
completed  the  ropes  were  loosed,  and  the  frightened  animals 
rejoined  their  companions,  who  were  huddled  hi  a  corner  of 
the  inclosure. 

"  Now,  each  man  of  No.  i  and  No.  2  outfit  take  one  of  the 
horses,"  the  manager  said. 

Hugh  and  Bill  had  the  night  before  been  told  that  they  were 
to  form  part  of  No.  2  outfit.  Like  the  others  they  had  their 
ropes  in  their  hands,  and  had  brought  their  saddles  inside  the 
inclosure.  Hugh  picked  out  a  horse  that  struck  him  as  being 
a  good  one,  and  threw  his  lasso  round  its  neck.  One  of  the 
cow-boys  belonging  to  the  other  outfit,  who  was  standing  by, 
said :  "  That  is  a  pretty  bad  horse,  mate.  I  would  take  a 
quieter  one  if  I  were  you." 

"I  have  got  to  learn  to  sit  them,"  Hugh  replied ;  "so  I  may 
as  well  begin  with  a  bad  one  as  a  good  one." 

"All  right,"  the  other  said,  taking  hold  of  the  rope,  and 
helping  Hugh  haul  upon  it.  The  animal  resisted  violently, 
but  the  pressure  of  the  rope  half-choked  him,  and  he  was 
forced  to  leave  the  group  and  come  up  to  them.  "  I  will  hold 
him,"  Hugh's  assistant  said.  "  Get  your  saddle  and  bridle." 

There  was  some  difficulty  in  putting  these  on,  for  the  animal 
kicked,  plunged,  and  reared  furiously,  and  it  was  only  when 
another  cow-boy  threw  a  rope,  and,  catching  one  of  its  hind 
legs,  pulled  it  out  stiffly  behind,  that  Hugh  succeeded  in 
saddling  it.  "  Now,  up  you  go  !  "  the  man  said.  Gathering 
up  the  reins  Hugh  sprang  into  the  saddle,  and  the  two  men,  as 
soon  as  they  saw  him  seated,  slipped  off  the  ropes.  For  a 


A   BRONCHO-BUSTER.  129 

moment  the  horse  stood  perfectly  still.  "  Keep  his  head  up,"  one 
of  the  men  shouted  ;  but  before  Hugh  could  draw  in  the  reins 
the  horse  dropped  its  head  to  its  knees.  Then  it  seemed  to 
Hugh  that  it  doubled  itself  up,  and  before  he  knew  what  had 
happened  he  felt  himself  flying  through  the  air,  and  came 
down  to  the  ground  with  a  crash.  There  was  a  shout  of 
laughter  from  the  cow-boys,  but  two  or  three  of  them  helped 
Hugh,  who  for  a  moment  was  almost  stunned,  to  his  feet. 

"  That  is  bucking,  I  suppose,"  he  said  as  soon  as  he  could 
get  breath. 

"  That's  bucking,  sure  enough,"  one  of  those  who  had  helped 
him  said. 

"  Well,  I  will  try  again  in  a  minute,"  Hugh  said. 

"Take  it  quietly,"  the  man  said  good-naturedly.  "You  fell 
pretty  heavy,  and  you  are  shaken  up  a  bit.  You'd  better  hitch 
him  on  to  the  fence,  and  look  about  you  for  a  few  minutes 
before  you  try  again." 

Hugh  thought  the  advice  good,  and  after  fastening  up  the 
horse  stood  watching  the  man  they  called  the  broncho-breaker, 
who  was  fighting  one  of  the  most  vicious  of  the  last  year's 
horses.  Had  he  not  seen  it,  Hugh  would  not  have  believed  it 
possible  that  a  horse  could  go  through  such  performances.  He 
had  ridden  many  vicious  brutes  at  home,  and  had  thought  that 
he  knew  something  of  horses,  but  this  was  a  new  experience 
for  him.  In  the  rearing,  kicking,  and  plunging  there  was 
nothing  novel,  and  as  the  horses  were  much  smaller  than  the 
English  hunters  to  which  he  had  been  accustomed  he  felt  that 
if  this  had  been  all  he  should  have  no  difficulty  in  keeping  his 
seat,  but  the  bucking  was  new  to  him.  To  perform  it,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  horse  should  be  able  to  get  its  head  down. 
The  moment  this  was  done  it  sprang  straight  into  the  air,  at 
the  same  moment  rounding  its  back,  and  this  with  such  a 
sharp,  sudden  jerk  that  it  fairly  threw  the  rider  into  the  air. 

On  coming  down  the  animal  kept  its  legs  stiff,  so  that  the 
jerk  to  the  rider  was  scarcely  less  than  that  of  the  upward 
spring,  and  before  he  had  time  to  settle  himself  in  the  slightest 


130  TRYING  AGAIN. 

the  horse  repeated  the  performance,  varying  it  occasionally  by 
springing  sideways,  backwards,  or  forwards.  The  breaker,  or 
as  they  were  generally  called  the  broncho-buster,  kept  his  figure 
perfectly  upright,  with  a  tremendous  grip  upon  the  saddle  with 
his  thighs,  but  depending,  as  Hugh  could  see,  rather  upon 
balance  than  upon  his  hold.  The  exertion  was  evidently  great. 
The  man's  hat  had  been  jerked  off,  the  perspiration  stood  upon 
his  bronzed  forehead.  From  time  to  time  he  dug  his  spurs 
into  the  animal's  flanks,  and  excited  it  to  continue  its  desperate 
efforts,  until  at  last  the  horse  was  utterly  exhausted  and  stood 
with  its  head  drooping  unable  to  make  another  effort.  There 
was  a  shout  of  applause  from  the  cow-boys  looking  on. 

"  Bully  for  you,  Jake  !  He  is  a  brute,  that  is,  and  no  mis- 
take." 

"  I  will  give  him  a  turn  every  day  for  a  week,"  Jake  said. 
"  He  is  worth  taking  trouble  with.  I  will  take  him  for  a  gallop 
to-morrow." 

"  Do  they  buck  when  they  are  galloping?  "  Hugh  asked  the 
cow-boy  next  to  him. 

The  latter  nodded.  "  Not  when  they  are  going  at  their  best 
pace.  They  haven't  time  to  do  it  then,  but  when  they  are 
going  at  hand-gallop  they  will  do  it.  They  wait  until  you  are 
off  your  guard,  and  then  up  they  go  in  the  air  and  come 
down  perhaps  three  yards  sideways,  and  it's  fifty  to  one  against 
your  being  on  their  back  when  they  do  come  down." 

"  I  see  how  it  is  done  now,  though  I  don't  see  how  I  can  do 
it,"  Hugh  said.  "  But  I  will  try  again." 

The  horse  was  led  out,  and  Hugh  again  mounted.  This 
time  he  was  prepared  for  what  was  to  come,  but  in  spite  of  the 
grip  with  his  legs  the  blow  lifted  him  far  above  the  saddle.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  the  next  buck  came  before  he  had  fairly 
descended,  for  it  struck  him  with  the  force  and  suddenness  of 
an  electric  shock.  Again  and  again  he  was  thrown  up,  until 
he  felt  his  balance  going,  and  the  next  jump  threw  him  fairly 
over  the  horse's  head,  but  as  he  was  prepared  for  the  fall  it  was 
much  less  heavy  than  the  first  time. 


CONQUERED.  131 

"  Well  done  !  well  done  !  "  several  of  the  cow-boys  said  as  he 
rose  to  his  feet.  "  You  will  do,  you  will,  and  make  a  good  rider 
before  long.  That  will  do  for  to-day  ;  I  would  not  try  any 
more." 

"  I  am  going  to  try  it  until  I  can  sit  him,"  Hugh  said.  "  I 
have  got  to  do  it,  and  I  may  as  well  go  on  now  before  I  get 
stiff." 

The  broncho-breaker  came  up  to  him  as,  after  waiting  a 
minute  or  two  to  get  his  breath,  he  again  prepared  to  mount. 

"  Don't  keep  your  back  so  stiff,  young  fellow.  Just  let  your 
back  go  as  if  there  was  no  bones  in  it.  I  have  known  a  man's 
spine  broke  before  now  by  a  bucker.  Sit  easy  and  lissom. 
Keep  your  head,  that  is  the  principal  thing.  It  ain't  easy 
when  you  are  being  pitched  up  and  down  like  a  ball,  but  it 
all  turns  upon  that.  Let  your  legs  close  on  him  tight  each 
time  you  come  down,  if  only  for  a  moment,  that  saves  you  from 
being  thrown  clean  away  from  him." 

Hugh  sprang  on  to  the  horse,  and  the  struggle  again 
began.  It  ended  like  the  last,  but  Hugh  had  kept  his  seat 
somewhat  longer  than  before.  Again  and  again  he  tried,  each 
time  with  more  success.  The  fifth  time  he  felt  that  the  horse's 
action  was  less  sudden  and  violent,  and  that  it  was  becoming 
fatigued  with  its  tremendous  exertions.  "Now,  you  brute," 
he  muttered,  "it  is  my  turn;"  and  he  dug  his  spurs  into  the 
horse.  A  spring  more  violent  than  any  he  had  yet  felt  followed 
the  application,  and  for  a  minute  or  two  he  was  almost  be- 
wildered by  the  force  and  rapidity  of  the  animal's  springs; 
but  he  was  now  confident  that  he  was  gaining  the  mastery, 
and  the  moment  he  found  that  its  efforts  were  decreasing, 
he  again  applied  the  spurs.  The  response  was  less  vigorous 
than  before,  and  in  five  minutes  the  animal  stood  exhausted 
and  subdued.  A  cheer  broke  from  the  cow-boys  who  were 
standing  round  looking  on  at  the  struggle. 

"  Well  done,  young  fellow  !  you  are  the  toughest  tender-foot 
I  have  ever  seen,"  one  of  them  said,  shaking  him  by  the  hand. 
"  I  don't  believe  there  are  ten  men  in  the  camp  who  would 


132  "YOU  ARE  CLEAR  GRIT,  YOU  ARE." 

have  sat  that  horse  as  you  have,  and  you  say  that  it  is  the  very 
first  time  you  have  been  on  a  bucker." 

"  I  have  beaten  him,"  Hugh  said,  "  but  he  has  pretty  well 
beaten  me.  You  must  help  me  off  my  saddle,  for  I  feel  as  if 
my  back  was  broken,  and  that  I  could  not  lift  my  leg  over  the 
saddle  if  my  life  depended  on  it." 

Two  cow-boys  lifted  him  from  his  seat.  "  That  is  a  hard 
tussle,  mate,"  the  broncho-breaker  said,  coming  up  to  him,  "and 
you  have  stuck  to  it  well.  You  are  clear  grit,  you  are.  The 
best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  walk  about  for  the  next  hour ;  just 
keep  yourself  moving,  then  go  and  wrap  yourself  up  in  two 
or  three  blankets  and  lie  down  in  your  bunk  for  a  bit,  have  a 
thorough  good  sweat,  and  then  strip  and  rub  yourself  down. 
Get  your  mate  to  rub  your  back  well,  and  then  dress  and  move 
about.  The  great  thing  is  not  to  get  stiff;  but  you  will  feel 
it  for  a  day  or  two." 

Hugh  followed  the  advice,  but  he  found  it  hard  work  to  do  so. 
He  was  bruised  all  over  with  his  falls ;  he  scarce  seemed  able 
to  put  one  leg  before  another,  and  at  every  movement  a  sharp 
pain  shot  through  the  loins,  and  he  felt  as  if  his  spine  had  been 
dislocated.  Still,  for  an  hour  he  walked  about,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  felt  that  his  movements  were  more  easy;  then 
he  went  to  the  hut,  wrapped  himself  in  Bill's  blankets  and  his 
own,  and  presently  dozed  off  to  sleep.  A  couple  of  hours  later 
he  woke  and  saw  Bill  standing  beside  him. 

"  Now,  Hugh,  you  had  better  turn  out  and  let  me  give  you 
a  rub.  Just  take  off  that  shirt.  I  have  got  a  lump  of  hog's 
grease  here." 

Hugh  got  out  of  the  bunk  with  some  difficulty  and  took  off 
his  shirt.  "  Now,  you  lean  your  hands  on  that  bunk  and  arch 
your  back ;  that's  it.  Now  here  goes." 

For  a  good  half-hour  Bill  worked  at  his  back,  kneading  it 
with  his  knuckles  down  both  sides  of  the  spine  and  across  the 
loins.  "  Now,  you  will  do,"  he  said  at  last.  "  Put  on  a  dry 
shirt  and  come  out." 

Hugh  strolled  down  to  the  stock-yard.     He  felt  wonderfully 


"  TREMENDOUS  WORK."  133 

better  after  the  rubbing,  and  was  able  to  walk  with  far  greater 
ease  than  before.  The  scene  in  the  yard  was  unchanged.  Fresh 
groups  of  horses  had  been  driven  in  as  fast  as  the  others  had 
been  saddled  and  mounted,  and  by  nightfall  each  of  the  cow- 
boys had  been  provided  with  three  horses.  Hugh  was  greatly 
amused  at  the  scene,  for  the  spills  were  numerous,  and  the 
shouting  and  laughter  incessant.  The  next  day  the  work 
of  breaking  in  the  bronchos  commenced.  One  after  another 
they  were  roped  and  dragged  out  of  the  drove.  The  bridle  was 
slipped  on,  and  they  were  then  blindfolded  while  the  saddle 
was  put  on  and  fastened.  Then  Jake  mounted.  The  cloth 
was  drawn  oft*  the  animal's  head,  and  the  struggle  commenced. 
The  horses  tried  every  means  to  unseat  their  rider,  but  in  vain. 
Some  submitted  after  comparatively  short  struggles.  Others 
fought  long  and  desperately.  As  soon  as  the  first  victory  was 
won  bars  were  let  down,  and  the  horse  was  taken  for  a  long 
gallop  across  the  country,  returning  home  subdued  and  trem- 
bling. Then  the  process  was  repeated  with  a  fresh  animal. 

"How  long  does  he  take  to  break  them?"  Hugh  asked  a 
cow-boy. 

"  Three  days  generally ;  sometimes  he  will  ride  them  four  or 
five  times,  but  three  is  generally  enough.  Then  they  are 
handed  over  to  us  to  finish." 

"  It  must  take  a  lot  out  of  them,"  Hugh  said.  "  It  would 
be  better  to  do  it  more  gradually.  You  see  they  are  scared 
nearly  to  death  before  they  are  begun  with." 

"  He  cannot  afford  the  time,"  the  man  said.  "  He  gets  two 
dollars  a  horse  for  breaking  them.  He  will  be  here  for  a  fort- 
night, and  in  that  time  he  will  do  pretty  well  a  hundred.  Then 
he  will  go  off  somewhere  else." 

"  It  must  be  tremendous  work  for  him,"  Hugh  said. 

"  It  is  that,  you  bet.  A  broncho- buster  seldom  lasts  above 
two  years.  They  get  shaken  all  to  pieces  and  clean  broke  up 
by  the  end  of  that  time." 

As  fast  as  the  horses  were  broken  in  they  were  handed  over 
to  the  cow-boys,  and  Hugh,  who  had  been  unable  to  do  any 


134  ROUGH   TRAINING. 

work  for  two  days,  then  began  to  break  in  the  lot  that  were 
to  be  his  particular  property.  But  he  was  fond  of  horses,  and 
could  not  bring  himself  to  use  such  violent  measures  as  those 
which  he  saw  adopted  by  his  companions.  The  first  lesson 
they  taught  them  was  to  stand  still  the  moment  a  rope  fell  over 
their  necks.  The  animal  was  led  up  to  the  stump  of  a  tree 
and  then  loosed ;  it  at  once  went  off  at  full  speed,  but  as  it 
did  so  its  owner  threw  the  noose  of  his  rope  over  its  head, 
and  then  gave  the  other  end  a  turn  round  the  stump.  The 
shock  was  tremendous,  the  horses  being  frequently  jerked  right 
over  on  to  their  backs. 

Two  or  three  experiences  of  this  sort  was  sufficient,  and  the 
animal  thenceforth  learned  to  stand,  not  only  when  a  rope  was 
thrown  round  its  neck,  but  even  when  the  reins  were  dropped 
upon  it,  so  that  when  its  master  dismounted  it  remained  per- 
fectly quiet  until  he  again  mounted  and  took  the  reins  in  his 
hand,  even  if  he  was  absent  a  considerable  time.  As  the 
teams  were  to  start  in  a  few  days  on  the  round-up,  Hugh  felt 
that  it  would  be  useless  for  him  to  attempt  to  break  the  horses 
in  by  English  methods,  and  he  was  therefore  obliged  to  adopt 
those  in  use  by  his  companions.  He  mollified  them,  however, 
to  some  extent  by  getting  another  rope  and  tying  it  to  his  own. 
He  then  took  only  half  a  turn  round  the  stump,  and  let  the  rope 
run  out,  at  first  fast,  but  checking  it  gradually  until  its  pressure 
upon  the  neck  brought  the  animal  half  suffocated  to  a  stop. 

It  took  him  longer  to  accomplish  his  object,  but  he  found 
that  by  the  end  of  a  week  the  seven  horses  had  all  learned  their 
lessons;  each  having  been  ridden  for  an  hour  every  day. 
He  had  had  several  severe  battles  with  the  animal  he  had  first 
mounted,  which  was  by  far  the  most  vicious  of  them  ;  but  the 
struggle  each  day  had  become  less  severe,  as  the  horse  recog- 
nized the  futility  of  endeavouring  to  unseat  its  master.  Hugh 
had  many  falls  during  the  schooling,  but  he  was  upon  the  whole 
well  satisfied  with  the  result. 

Several  of  the  cow-boys  had  advised  him  to  use  the  methods 
they  adopted  for  securing  them  in  their  seats  upon  specially 


METHODS   OF    HOLDING   ON.  135 

vicious  horses.  One  of  these  methods  was  the  fastening  of  a 
loop  of  leather  to  the  high  pommel.  Holding  this  in  the  hand, 
it  was  well-nigh  impossible  to  be  bucked  from  the  saddle,  but 
there  was  the  disadvantage  that  if  the  strap  broke,  nothing  could 
save  a  rider  from  a  fall  far  more  violent  and  heavy  than  that 
which  came  from  being  pitched  from  the  saddle  in  the  ordinary 
way.  Another  method  was  to  fasten  a  strap  passed  under  the 
horse's  belly  tightly  below  each  knee  ;  but  this,  although  it  held 
the  riders  in  their  saddles,  had  the  serious  disadvantage,  that 
in  the  event  of  the  horse  rearing  and  falling  back,  or  of  its 
falling  headlong  from  putting  its  foot  in  a  hole,  the  rider  could 
not  free  himself,  and  was  almost  certain  to  be  crushed  under 
the  horse.  Others,  again,  fastened  themselves  by  bringing  their 
feet  together,  and  crossing  then-  spurs,  under  the  horse's  belly, 
a  safer  measure  than  the  last,  but  objectionable  inasmuch  as 
the  spurs  when  the  animal  bucked  struck  him  in  the  belly, 
and  so  increased  the  violence  of  his  action. 

Of  course  the  best  riders  refrained  from  using  any  of  these 
methods,  trusting  only  to  their  leg  grip  and  to  balance ;  and 
Hugh  determined  to  ride  in  this  way,  even  if  it  did  cost  him 
a  few  more  falls.  He  was  on  excellent  terms  with  the  rest  of 
the  cow-boys.  The  tender-foot,  as  a  new-comer  is  called,  is 
always  the  subject  of  endless  pranks  and  annoyances  if  he  evinces 
the  least  timidity  or  nervousness ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
shows  that  he  has  pluck,  determination  to  succeed,  and  good 
temper,  he  is  treated  with  kindness  and  cordiality.  Hugh's 
exhibition,  therefore,  of  courage  and  horsemanship  on  the 
occasion  of  his  first  attempt  at  once  won  their  liking  and 
admiration,  and  all  were  ready  to  lend  him  a  hand  when  neces- 
sary, and  to  give  him  hints  and  advice,  and  he  was  free  from 
any  of  the  annoyances  to  which  new  hands  are  often  exposed. 
There  were  several  other  tender-feet  among  the  party.  Two  or 
three  of  these  got  on  fairly  and  soon  ceased  to  be  butts ;  but 
the  rest,  before  a  week  was  up,  found  the  work  altogether 
too  trying,  and  one  after  another  went  off  in  search  of  some 
less  dangerous  occupation. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  RATTLESNAKE  DIET. 

TJVERYTHING  was  now  ready,  and  one  morning  four 
-L>  waggons  started.  The  ^  was  cne  of  the  most  northern 
of  the  ranches,  and  the  four  outfits  would  therefore  travel 
south,  searching  the  whole  width  of  country  as  they  went 
along.  Those  from  the  other  ranches  would  come  up  from 
the  south,  or  in  from  the  east,  all  moving  towards  a  general 
meeting-place.  The  range  of  country  which  served  as  common 
pasturage  to  some  eight  or  ten  ranches  was  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  from  north  to  south,  and  nearly  as  much  from  east 
to  west.  The  eastern  portion  of  this  great  tract  consisted 
of  plain,  sometimes  flat  and  level,  but  more  often  undulating. 
The  western  portion  was  broken  up  into  valleys  and  gorges  by 
the  spurs  of  the  great  ranges  included  under  the  name  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

The  cattle  of  each  ranche  were  as  far  as  possible  kept  in  that 
portion  of  the  territory  nearest  their  own  stations,  but  during 
the  winter  they  scattered  to  great  distances  in  search  of  better 
grazing  ground  or  shelter.  In  the  more  northern  ranges, 
when  snow-storms  with  violent  wind  swept  down  from  the 
north-west,  the  cattle  would  drift  before  it,  always  keeping 
their  heads  from  the  wind,  and  feeding  as  they  travelled. 
Sometimes  great  herds  would  thus  travel  hundreds  of  miles, 
until  brought  up  by  some  obstacle.  At  this  time  such  things 
as  fences  were  absolutely  unknown  on  the  plains,  and  when, 
years  after,  they  came  to  a  certain  extent  into  use,  they  were, 


A   COW-BOY   OUTFIT.  137 

in  the  regions  exposed  to  snow-storms,  causes  of  terrible  dis- 
aster ;  for  when  a  herd  drifting  before  a  snow-storm  came  to 
one  of  them,  it  would  be  checked,  and  many  thousands  of 
cattle  would,  when  the  snow  cleared,  be  found  frozen  or 
starved  to  death  in  a  mass. 

Two  of  the  outfits  of  the  ^  ranche  were  to  proceed  due 
west,  and  then  to  search  the  ranges  among  the  hills,  while  the 
other  two  were  to  work  the  plains.  Nos.  i  and  2  were  chosen 
for  the  former  work,  and  were  to  keep  within  twenty  or  thirty 
miles  of  each  other,  so  as  to  be  able  to  draw  together  for  sup- 
port should  the  Indians  prove  troublesome.  It  was  not  until 
the  afternoon  that  the  cow-boys  mounted,  and  the  men  of  each 
outfit,  collecting  their  own  horses  into  a  bunch,  started  for  the 
spot  where  their  waggon  was  to  halt  for  the  night.  It  had 
brought  up  near  a  stream,  and  the  cook  had  already  lighted 
his  fires  and  put  on  his  cooking  pots  when  they  arrived. 

Each  outfit  consisted  of  ten  cow-boys  and  a  man  who  acted 
as  waggon-driver  and  cook.  The  duties  of  the  cook  of  an  out- 
fit were  by  no  means  a  sinecure,  as  he  had  to  prepare  two 
meals  a  day,  breakfast  and  supper,  at  all  times,  and  dinner  for 
the  men  whose  work  allowed  them  to  ride  in  to  it.  He  had 
to  bake  bread,  to  wash  up  pots,  pans,  and  dishes,  and  to  cut 
wood  for  the  fire.  In  the  latter  task  he  was  always  assisted 
by  the  first  arrivals  at  the  camping  place.  The  bread  was 
baked  in  iron  pans.  The  dough  was  made  of  flour  and  water 
with  a  mixture  of  saleratus,  which  took  the  place  of  yeast,  and 
caused  the  dough  to  rise.  The  pans  were  placed  in  the  wood 
embers,  a  quantity  of  which  were  piled  upon  the  flat  iron  lid, 
so  that  the  bread  was  baked  equally  on  all  sides.  Meat  was 
cut  into  steaks  and  fried,  those  of  the  men  who  preferred  it 
cutting  off  chunks  of  the  meat  and  grilling  or  roasting  them 
on  sticks  over  the  fire. 

Once  or  twice  a  week  there  was  duff  or  plum-pudding.  The 
cook  was  up  long  before  daybreak  preparing  breakfast,  and 
the  men  started  as  soon  as  it  was  light.  Directly  the  meal 
was  over,  plates,  pots,  and  pans  were  washed  and  packed  in 


138  TRYING  WORK. 

the  waggon,  the  horses  or  mules  harnessed,  and  he  started  foi 
the  spot  named  as  the  evening  camping  ground,  where  he  had 
his  fires  lighted  and  the  meal  well  on  its  way  by  the  time  the 
cow-boys  arrived.  A  good  deal  more  meat  than  was  required 
was  cooked  at  breakfast,  and  each  man  before  he  started  on 
his  day's  work,  cut  off  a  chunk  of  bread  and  meat  for  his  mid- 
day meal. 

Hugh  had  ridden  Prince,  who  had  been  having  a  very  easy 
time  of  it  for  the  last  three  weeks.  The  horse  had  for  the 
first  few  days  kept  somewhat  apart,  and  had  resented  any 
advances  on  the  part  of  the  strangers.  He  had  now,  however, 
fallen  into  their  ways,  and  as  soon  as  the  saddle  was  taken  off 
he,  like  those  ridden  by  the  other  cow-boys,  went  off  at  a  trot 
to  join  the  bunch  of  horses  a  short  distance  out  on  the  plain. 

"Well,  Hugh,  how  do  you  think  you  shall  like  cattle  work?" 
one  of  the  men,  known  as  Long  Tom,  asked  him,  as  they  sat 
round  the  fire  after  supper  was  over. 

"  So  far  I  like  it  immensely,"  Hugh  replied  ;  "  but,  of  course, 
I  have  only  seen  the  smooth  side  of  it.  I  have  not  been  on 
night  cattle-guard  yet." 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  worse  part  of  the  work,"  the  man  said, 
"  especially  when  you  are  short-handed,  for  then  there  is  only  one 
relief.  Of  course  on  a  fine  night,  if  the  cattle  are  quiet,  there 
is  no  hardship  about  it ;  but  on  a  dark  night,  when  you  cannot 
see  your  horse's  ears,  and  the  wind  is  blowing  and  the  rain 
coming  down,  and  the  cattle  are  restless,  it  is  no  joke.  I 
have  been  a  sailor  in  my  time,  and  I  tell  you  that  keeping 
watch  on  a  wild  night  ,at  sea  isn't  a  circumstance  to  it.  You 
know  that  if  the  cattle  break,  you  have  got  to  ride  and  head 
them  off  somehow ;  and  I  tell  you,  when  you  cannot  see  your 
horse's  ears,  and  are  going  at  a  wild  gallop,  and  know  that 
if  he  puts  his  foot  in  a  hole  there  is  no  saying  how  far  you 
may  be  chucked,  and  you  have  got  the  herd  thundering 
along  beside  you,  you  begin  to  feel  that  a  cow-boy's  life  is  not 
all  meat  and  molasses.  There  is  one  comfort,  when  you  do 
have  to  ride  like  that,  you  have  no  time  to  funk.  Your  blood 


JACKS  AND   HORSES.  139 

just  boils  up  with  excitement,  and  the  one   thing  that  you 
think  of  is  to  head  the  herd." 

"Shall we  place  a  horse-guard  to-night?" 

"  Yes,  there  is  always  a  horse-guard  when  we  are  away  from 
the  station.  The  horses  are  more  inclined  to  wander  at  first 
than  they  are  afterwards,  and  ours  are  a  pretty  wild  lot  at 
present;  but  I  don't  think  we  shall  have  trouble  with  them, 
for  we  have  brought  that  white  jackass  along,  and  the  horses 
are  sure  to  keep  round  him.  There  is  nothing  like  a  jack  for 
keeping  horses  quiet.  They  seem  to  know  that  he  has  more 
sense  than  they  have.  As  long  as  he  takes  things  quietly 
there  is  not  much  fear  of  their  moving." 

"  Do  you  think  a  donkey  has  more  sense  than  a  horse  ? " 
Hugh  asked  in  surprise. 

"Ever  so  much,"  the  man  replied;  "and  so  have  mules, 
haven't  they,  mates?" 

There  was  a  general  chorus  of  assent.  "  I  had  no  idea  of 
that,"  Hugh  said.  "  I  should  have  thought  that  horses  would 
look  down  upon  a  donkey." 

"That  is  where  you  are  wrong,"  a  cow-boy  called  Broncho 
Harry  said.  "  Trust  to  a  jack  to  find  out  the  best  forage  and 
the  nearest  water.  He  would  manage  to  pick  up  a  living 
where  a  horse  would  starve.  He  doesn't  get  scared  and  lose 
his  head  about  nothing  as  a  horse  does.  If  there  is  a  noise, 
he  just  cocks  one  ear  forward  and  makes  up  his  mind  what  it 
is  about,  and  then  goes  on  eating,  while  a  horse  figdets  and 
sweats,  and  is  ready  to  bolt  from  his  own  shadow ;  besides,  the 
horses  know  that  the  jack  is  their  master." 

"  Why,  you  don't  mean  to  say  that  a  donkey  can  kick  harder 
than  a  horse  ?  " 

"  I  don't  say  he  can  kick  harder,  though  a  mule  can,  and 
twice  as  quick ;  but  a  jack  does  not  fight  that  way,  he  fights 
with  his  teeth.  I  have  seen  several  fights  between  stallions 
and  jacks,  and  the  jack  has  always  got  the  best  of  it.  I  re- 
member down  at  the  Red  Springs  there  was  a  big  black  stallion 
with  a  bunch  of  mares  came  down  the  valley  where  we  camped, 


140  A   GOOD   FIGHTER. 

and  he  went  at  the  horses  and  stampeded  them  all  down  the 
valley.  Well,  we  had  a  jack  with  us ;  he  did  not  seem  to  pay 
much  attention  to  what  was  going  on  until  the  stallion  came 
rushing  at  him,  thinking  no  doubt  that  he  was  going  to 
knock  his  brains  straight  out  with  a  blow  of  his  fore-foot,  but 
the  jack  went  at  him  with  open  mouth,  dodged  a  blow  of  his 
hoofs,  and  made  a  spring  and  caught  him  by  the  neck.  He 
held  on  like  a  bull-dog.  The  stallion  reared  and  plunged,  and 
lifted  the  jack  off  his  feet  time  after  time,  but  each  time  he 
came  down  with  his  legs  stiff  and  well  apart. 

"  The  stallion  struck  at  him  with  his  fore-legs,  and  cut  the 
skin  off  his  shoulders.  Once  or  twice  they  fell,  but  the  jack 
never  let  go  his  hold,  and  he  would  have  killed  the  stallion, 
sure,  if  it  had  not  torn  itself  away,  leaving  a  big  bit  of  skin 
and  flesh  in  the  jack's  mouth.  The  stallion  went  up  the  valley 
again  like  a  flash,  and  the  jack  turned  off  and  went  on  grazing 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Jacks  don't  have  a  chance  in 
towns ;  but  give  them  a  free  hand  out  on  the  plains,  and  I  tell 
you  they  are  just  choke-full  of  sense.  But  it  is  getting  dark, 
and  I  am  first  on  guard,  so  I  must  be  off." 

The  other  three  men  who  had  been  told  off  for  guard  had 
each  brought  in  a  horse  and  fastened  the  ends  of  their  ropes  to 
picket  pins  driven  into  the  ground,  so  that  they  could  graze  a 
little  and  yet  be  near  at  hand  when  the  time  came  to  relieve 
the  guard. 

"  How  do  you  know  when  to  wake? " 

"  It  is  habit,"  Broncho  Harry  said.  "  One  gets  to  wake  up 
just  at  the  right  time,  and  if  you  ain't  there  within  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  of  the  time  you  ought  to  be,  you  are  likely  to  hear 
of  it.  One  of  the  guards  will  ride  in,  and  talk  pretty  straight 
to  you,  or  like  enough  he  will  drop  his  rope  round  your  foot 
or  arm,  and  give  you  a  jerk  that  will  send  you  ten  yards. 
When  you  have  been  woke  up  once  or  twice  like  that,  there 
ain't  much  fear  of  your  over-sleeping  yourself.  Ah  !  there  is 
black  Sam's  accordion." 

Black  Sam  was  the  cook,  a  merry  good-tempered  negro, 


DRIVING   IN   CATTLE.  141 

the  outfit  which  secured  Sam  with  the  waggon  considered  itself 
in  luck.  Cow-boys  are  very  fond  of  music,  and  Sam's  accordion 
helped  to  while  away  the  evening.  For  the  next  two  hours 
there  was  singing  and  choruses,  and  then  the  men  rolled  them- 
selves in  their  blankets  with  their  feet  to  the  fire,  and  the  camp 
was  soon  asleep. 

The  next  morning  at  daybreak  the  cow-boys  started  in  pairs ; 
two  of  them  accompanied  the  waggon  in  charge  of  the  spare 
horses,  the  rest  went  in  various  directions  to  hunt  up  cattle. 

Before  nightfall  they  had  collected  fifty  or  sixty  cattle, 
mostly  in  bunches  of  threes  and  fours.  At  least  a  third  of  the 
number  were  calves  by  their  mother's  side.  Some  of  them 
were  only  captured  after  a  long  chase,  as  they  ran  with  a  swift- 
ness far  beyond  anything  of  which  Hugh  could  have  supposed 
cattle  to  be  capable. 

The  cows  and  steers  were  for  the  most  part  branded,  but 
a  few  were  found  without  marks.  These  were,  Hugh  learned, 
called  mavericks.  They  were  animals  that  had  escaped  search 
at  the  previous  round-up,  and  it  was  consequently  impossible 
to  tell  to  what  herd  they  belonged.  When  the  day's  work 
was  done  these  were  roped,  thrown  down,  and  branded  with 
the  A>  and  became  the  property  of  the  ranche  whose  cow- 
boys discovered  them. 

"  There  is  many  a  man  has  become  rich  by  branding  mave- 
ricks," one  of  the  cow-boys  said.  "  It  was  a  regular  business 
at  one  time.  Of  course  no  one  could  tell  whose  cattle  they 
were,  and  when  a  man  had  put  his  brand  on  them  he  became 
the  owner ;  but  it  was  carried  on  so  that  the  ranche  owners 
all  came  to  an  agreement,  and  any  man  caught  branding  cattle 
with  his  own  brand,  except  at  the  regular  round-up,  got  shot. 
Of  course  the  calves  belonged  to  one  or  other  of  the  ranches 
round,  and  as  each  ranche  sends  out  a  number  of  outfits  to  the 
round-up  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  of  its  cattle,  the  present 
rule  is  fair  enough." 

When  night  fell  the  cattle  were  bunched  down  by  the 
stream  by  which  the  party  ha<^  camped.  Six  of  them  were 


142  ON   HORSE  GUARD. 

told  off  on  night  guard,  while  three  others,  of  whom  Hugh  was 
one,  were  to  look  after  the  horses.  Hugh  was  to  take  the  first 
watch,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  eaten  his  supper  he  received  his 
instructions  from  John  Colley,  the  overseer  of  the  outfit. 

"  You  will  have  little  enough  to  do,"  he  said.  "  You  have 
merely  got  to  keep  near  them,  and  you  needn't  even  keep  on 
your  horse  unless  you  like.  As  long  as  they  graze  quietly 
leave  them  alone.  If  you  see  two  or  three  wandering  away 
from  the  rest  ride  quickly  and  head  them  in." 

Hugh  mounted  one  of  the  quietest  of  his  horses  and  rode 
out  to  the  bunch  a  few  hundred  yards  from  camp.  At  his 
whistle  Prince  at  once  trotted  out  from  the  rest  and  came  up 
to  him  and  took  from  his  hand  the  piece  of  bread  Hugh  had 
put  in  his  pocket  for  him. 

"  Go  back  to  the  others,  Prince,"  he  said  with  a  wave  of  his 
hand  ;  "  your  business  is  to  eat  at  present." 

The  horses  were  all  quiet,  and  Hugh,  when  darkness  had 
fairly  fallen,  was  struck  with  the  quiet  of  the  plain.  Above, 
the  stars  shone  through  the  clear,  dry  air.  Near  him  were  the 
dark  bunch  of  horses,  and  he  was  surprised  at  the  loudness  of 
the  sound  of  their  cropping  the  grass,  broken  only  by  that  of 
an  occasional  stamp  of  a  hoof.  He  could  easily  hear  the  accor- 
dion and  the  singing  away  back  at  the  camp.  When  this 
ceased  there  came  occasionally  the  crack  of  a  breaking  twig  as 
the  herd  of  cattle  forced  their  way  through  the  bushes  by  the 
stream  on  his  left,  and  the  songs  of  the  cow-boys  on  watch  as 
they  rode  in  circles  around  them.  The  time  did  not  seem 
long,  and  he  was  quite  surprised  when  Bill  Royce  cantered  up 
and  told  him  his  watch  was  over.  / 

The  next  day's  work  was  similar  to  the  first,  except  that, 
soon  after  starting,  on  ascending  a  slope  they  saw  a  small  herd 
of  deer  some  eighty  yards  away.  Before  Hugh  had  time  to 
think,  Broncho  Harry,  who  was  his  companion,  had  drawn  his 
revolver,  and,  as  the  deer  bounded  off,  fired.  One  of  them 
leaped  high  in  the  air,  ran  fifty  yards,  and  then  dropped,  while 
the  others  made  off  at  the  top  of  their  speed. 


"A   RATTLER  AIN'T   BAD   EATING."  143 

"  That  was  a  good  shot,"  Hugh  said.  "  I  should  hardly  have 
thought  of  firing  at  an  object  so  far  distant." 

"  Oh,  these  Colts  carry  a  long  way,"  the  cow-boy  said  care- 
lessly. "  They  will  carry  four  hundred  yards,  though  you  can't 
depend  upon  their  shooting  much  over  a  hundred.  I  have 
seen  a  man  killed,  though,  at  over  three  hundred ;  but  I  look 
upon  that  as  a  chance  shot.  Up  to  a  hundred  a  man  ain't 
much  of  a  shot  who  cannot  bring  down  a  deer  four  times  out 
of  five.  I  don't  mean  hitting.  Of  course  you  ought  to  hit 
him  every  time,  but  hit  him  so  as  to  stop  him.  I  don't  mean 
to  say  as  the  shot  would  be  sure  if  you  were  galloping  over 
rough  ground,  but  in  a  steady  saddle  you  ought  not  to  miss." 

On  riding  up  to  the  deer  Broncho  Harry  dismounted,  lifted 
it  on  the  horse,  and  lashed  it  to  the  back  of  the  saddle.  "  I  am 
not  particularly  partial  to  deer-meat,"  he  said,  "  but  it  makes  a 
change  to  beef." 

"I  own  I  prefer  beef,"  Hugh  said,  "especially  after  living  on 
venison,  as  I  have  been  doing,  for  the  l?st  three  months." 

"  I  consider  bear-meat  to  be  about  as  good  as  anything  you 
get  in  these  parts,"  the  cow-boy  said.  "  I  don't  say  as  it  isn't 
tough,  but  it  has  got  flavour.  I  don't  want  to  put  my  teeth 
into  anything  better  than  a  good  bear  ham.  If  we  have  any 
luck  we  shall  get  some  up  among  the  hills.  Most  things  are 
eatable.  I  lived  on  rattlers  once  for  a  month  at  a  time.  I  tell 
you  a  rattler  ain't  bad  eating." 

"  Are  there  many  of  them  out  on  the  plains  ?  " 

"A  good  many,"  the  cow-boy  said ;  "but  you  get  them  most 
among  the  foot-hills.  They  like  to  lie  on  the  rocks  hi  the  sun, 
and  I  have  seen  them  by  dozens  on  a  sunny  ledge." 

"  Do  many  people  get  killed  by  them  ?  " 

"  Bless  you,  no.  The  natives  are  afraid  of  them,  'cause,  you 
see,  they  often  go  barefoot ;  but  they  cannot  bite  through  our 
thick  boots.  The  only  danger  is  when  you  lie  down,  or  some- 
thing of  that  sort.  They  are  fond  of  warmth,  and  if  you  camp 
near  where  they  are  thick  they  will  crawl  down  to  the  fire, 
and  sometimes  get  into  your  blanket." 


144  "I  WAS   BIT  ONCE." 

"  I  suppose  their  bite  is  fatal  if  they  do  bite." 

"  Not  once  in  fifty  times  if  you  take  them  right.  I  have 
known  Mexicans  killed  by  them,  but,  then,  a  Mexican  gives  him- 
self away  directly  and  makes  no  fight  for  it.  Now  if  we  are 
bitten  we  just  whip  out  a  knife  and  cut  the  part  out  straight, 
clap  a  poultice  of  fresh  dung  on  it,  and  tie  a  string  round 
tight  above  it.  Of  course,  if  you  have  got  spirits  handy,  you 
pour  some  in  directly  you  cut  it  out,  and  drink  as  much  as  you 
can ;  but  then,  you  see,  we  don't  often  have  spirits  out  here.  I 
was  bit  once.  There."  And  he  pointed  to  a  scar  on  his  right 
hand,  between  the  little  finger  and  the  wrist.  "  A  rattler  bit 
me  just  on  the  fleshy  part  there.  I  blew  his  head  off  with  my 
revolver,  and  then  whipped  out  my  knife  and  cut  the  bit  out. 
There  wasn't  any  dung  handy,  and  I  had  no  spirits,  so  I  broke 
up  a  revolver  cartridge  and  poured  the  powder  in,  and  clapped 
a  match  to  it.  It  hurt  a  bit,  of  course,  because  it  was  bleeding 
and  the  powder  didn't  all  flash  off  at  once ;  but  I  was  all  right 
afterwards.  My  arm  felt  numbed  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  there 
was  an  end  of  it.  Cattle  and  horses  get  bit  sometimes  on  the 
head  when  they  are  grazing,  and  it  swells  up  to  pretty  well 
twice  its  proper  size,  but  they  generally  get  over  it  in  a  day  or 
two.  No,  there  is  no  great  danger  about  rattlers,  but  if  you  are 
in  the  neighbourhood  where  they  are  thick  it  is  just  as  well  to 
look  round  before  you  sit  down." 

"But  how  was  it  you  came  to  live  on  rattle-snakes  for  a 
month?" 

"  Well,  I  was  up  north  a  bit.  I  had  been  looking  after  a 
bunch  of  cattle  that  had  gone  up  a  canon  when  I  saw  a  party 
of  Indians  coming  my  way.  Lucky  I  saw  them  before  they  saw 
me,  and  you  guess  I  was  off  the  horse  pretty  sharp.  I  turned  his 
head  up  the  canon,  and  sent  him  galloping  on,  and  then  I 
sheltered  among  the  rocks.  The  Indians  came  up,  no  doubt,  to 
look  for  cattle.  I  heard  them  pass  by  and  then  come  galloping 
down  again,  and  I  knew  they  had  happened  upon  my  horse. 
They  hunted  about  that  place  for  two  days,  but  the  soft  rocks 
had  fallen,  and  they  were  piled  thick  along  the  foot  of  the  cliffs 


A   PERILOUS   POSITION.  145 

on  both  sides,  and  you  may  guess  I  had  worked  myself  down 
pretty  deep  in  among  them. 

"  I  was  in  too  much  of  a  hurry  to  think  of  the  rattlers  as  I 
got  in,  but  I  had  noticed  as  I  went  up  what  a  lot  of  them  there 
were  lying  on  the  rocks,  and  I  thought  a  good  deal  about  them 
as  I  was  lying  there.  Of  course  I  had  my  knife  and  pistol 
with  me,  but  the  pistol  was  no  good,  for  a  shot  would  have  cost 
me  my  scalp,  sure,  and  a  knife  ain't  the  sort  of  weapon  you 
would  choose  to  use  in  a  tussle  with  a  rattler.  When  night 
came  I  could  have  shifted,  but  I  guessed  I  had  got  as  good  a 
place  as  another,  and  I  might  have  put  my  foot  into  a  nest  of 
rattlers  in  the  dark,  so  I  lay  there  all  night  and  all  next  day. 
I  slept  a  bit  at  night,  but  all  day  I  kept  awake  and  listened. 
I  could  hear  the  Injuns  going  about  and  shoving  their  lances 
all  about  down  the  holes  among  the  rocks. 

"  Luckily,  the  place  I  had  got  into  was  just  at  the  foot  of  the 
cliffs,  and  you  could  not  see  that  there  was  a  hole  unless  you 
climbed  up  there.  Well,  when  night  came  again  I  guessed 
they  would  give  up  searching,  and  take  to  watching.  I  got  out 
and  went  a  good  bit  higher  up  the  gorge.  I  was  pretty  nigh 
mad  with  thirst,  and  there  weren't  no  water,  as  I  knew  of, 
within  well-nigh  a  hundred  miles.  I  felt  sure  the  Injuns  wouldn't 
come  up  the  valley  again,  but  would  keep  watch  at  the  mouth, 
for  the  hills  went  up  both  sides  and  there  was  no  getting  out 
anywhere  'cept  there.  Soon  as  it  got  light  I  cut  a  stoutish 
stick,  tore  off  a  strip  of  my  sash,  and  tied  my  bowie  to  the  end. 
Then  I  hid  up  agin  there,  but  so  that  I  could  see  out  a  bit.  About 
ten  o'clock,  as  there  wur  no  signs  of  the  Injuns,  and  the  sun 
wur  blazing  down  fit  to  frizzle  up  one's  brain,  I  guessed  rattlers 
would  be  out.  I  had  got  so  bad  with  thirst  by  that  time  that 
I  b'lieve,  even  if  I  had  seen  the  Injuns,  I  should  have  gone 
out.  I  had  not  long  to  search.  I  had  not  gone  five  yards 
when  I  saw  a  rattler  lying  on  a  rock. 

"  There  are  two  sorts  of  rattlers ;  there  is  the  plain  rattler 
and  the  rock  rattler.  The  rock  ain't  so  big  as  the  other,  but 
he  bites  just  as  bad.  He  saw  me  coming,  but  he  did  not 


146  A   STRANGE   DIET. 

trouble  to  move.  He  just  sounded  his  rattles,  and  lifted  up 
his  head  as  much  as  to  say  you  had  best  leave  me  alone.  When 
I  got  near  him  he  lifted  his  head  a  bit  higher,  and  swish 
went  my  stick,  and  his  head  flew  off  him.  I  picked  up  the? 
body  and  went  back  among  the  bushes,  skinned  it,  cut  it  up 
into  chunks,  and  ate  it  just  as  it  was.  That  was  the  first  of 
them,  and  I  had  three  or  four  more  before  the  day  was  over. 
That  night  and  next  day  I  remained  quiet,  except  to  fill  up  my 
larder,  and  the  next  night  crawled  down  to  the  mouth  of 
the  valley ;  and  just  where  it  narrowed  I  could  hear  Injuns 
talking.  They  hadn't  lighted  a  fire;  they  knew  better  than 
that.  It  would  have  been  just  throwing  away  their  lives.  So 
back  I  went  again,  for  I  could  not  tell  how  many  of  the  skunks 
were  there.  I  guessed,  perhaps,  they  would  come  up  the 
valley  again  the  next  day,  so  I  hid  again  in  my  old  place ; 
and  it  was  lucky  I  did,  for  in  the  afternoon  I  heard  their 
horses'  feet  and  knew  there  must  have  been  a  dozen  of  them. 

"  That  night  I  went  down  again.  I  could  hear  no  voices, 
and  I  crawled  out  and  out  until  I  was  well  on  the  plain,  but 
they  was  gone.  That  wur  just  what  I  had  expected.  They 
had  got  my  water-skin  with  my  horse,  and  knew  well  enough 
that  no  one  could  have  stood  that  four  days'  heat  in  that  valley 
without  dying  or  going  off  his  head,  and  as  they  could  see 
nothing  of  me  they  must  have  thought  that  I  had  got  into 
some  hole  and  stuck  there  till  I  died.  Their  own  water,  too, 
must  have  been  running  short,  and  they  couldn't  stay  any 
longer ;  so  off  they  had  gone.  I  wasn't  much  better  off  than 
I  was  before.  They  had  driven  the  cattle  away,  and  as  to  start- 
ing to  walk  a  hundred  miles  without  water  the  thing  wur  not 
to  be  thought  of.  I  had  found  there  was  juice  enough  in  the 
rattlers  to  do  me  ;  besides,  there  wur  plants  growing  about  that 
would  help  me  a  bit  if  I  chewed  the  leaves,  so  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  there  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  to  stop. 

"  Some  of  my  mates  would  be  sure  to  get  up  a  hunt  for  me 
when  they  found  that  I  didn't  come  back.  I  didn't  care  so 
much  now  that  I  could  light  a  fire,  for  I  was  getting  pretty  sick 


"TENDER- FEET  OFTEN  GET  LOST."  147 

of  raw  rattler.  I  lit  one  next  morning  right  up  at  the  head  of 
the  valley,  choosing  a  place  among  the  rocks  where  I  could 
pitch  a  stone  over  it  and  hide  the  ashes  if  the  Injuns  should 
take  it  into  their  heads  to  pay  me  another  visit.  Every  mor- 
ning I  cooked  enough  rattlers  for  the  day,  and  then  took  them 
down  and  sat  among  some  bushes  high  up  at  the  mouth  of 
the  valley,  so  that  I  could  see  if  anyone  was  coming  two  or 
three  miles  away,  for  I  hoped  that  a  deer,  or  a  bear,  or  per- 
haps a  head  or  two  of  cattle  might  come  up,  but  nary  one  did 
I  see,  though  I  stayed  there  a  month. 

"  At  the  end  of  that  time  I  saw  four  mounted  figures  far  out 
on  the  plain,  and  pretty  soon  made  out  as  they  was  cow-boys. 
They  was  riding  towards  the  hills,  and  you  bet  I  tracked  out 
to  meet  them  pretty  slick.  They  was  four  men  of  my  own 
outfit.  They  had  halted  for  three  or  four  days  after  I  wur 
lost,  and  scoured  the  plains  pretty  considerable  for  me.  Then 
they  wur  obliged  to  go  with  the  rest  to  drive  the  cattle  into 
the  station,  and  as  soon  as  they  got  there  they  started  out 
again,  making  up  their  minds  that  they  wouldn't  go  back  till 
they  found  my  body.  They  reckoned  for  sure  that  I  had  been 
scalped,  and  never  expected  to  do  more  for  me  than  to  bury 
me.  They  had  been  four  days  riding  along  at  the  bottom  of  the 
foot-hills  searching  every  valley.  They  had  a  spare  horse  or 
two  with  them  with  water  and  grub.  Yes,  that  is  how  I  came 
to  live  on  rattlers  for  a  month,  and  though  I  don't  say  any- 
thing against  them  as  food,  and  allow  as  they  make  a  change 
to  cow's  flesh,  I  have  never  been  able  to  touch  them  since." 

"That  was  a  close  shave,"  Hugh  said.  "I  suppose  people 
do  get  lost  and  die  on  the  plains  sometimes." 

"  Lots  of  them ;  but  not  old  hands,  you  know.  A  cow-boy 
gets  to  know  which  way  he  is  going  without  looking  at  a  mark. 
At  night  he  has  got  the  stars  to  guide  him.  But  tender-feet 
often  get  lost ;  and  when  they  once  lose  their  bearings  there 
ain't  much  chance  for  them  unless  someone  happens  to  come 
along.  They  most  all  go  out  of  their  mind  the  same  day. 
They  run  a  bit  and  then  drop  down,  and  then  run  another 


148  MAD   WITH   THIRST. 

way  and  drop  again.  I  tell  you  there  ain't  a  more  awful  sight 
than  a  man  who  has  been  lost  for  a  day  or  two,  and  you  have 
got  to  look  out  sharp  if  you  come  upon  one  of  them,  for  he  is 
as  like  as  not  to  shoot  you,  being  altogether  off  his  head,  and 
taking  you  for  an  enemy. 

"  I  once  came  across  a  chap  who  was  off  his  head,  but  who 
hadn't  got  weak.  He  drew  his  six-shooter  when  he  saw  me.  It 
was  a  long  way  from  a  station,  and  I  had  no  time  to  fool  about, 
and  I  didn't  want  to  get  shot.  He  fired  once,  and  the  ball  went 
pretty  close,  so  I  knew  I  might  chuck  away  my  life  by  going 
near  enough  to  rope  him.  So  I  fetched  out  my  pistol  and  took 
a  shot  at  his  ankle,  and,  of  course,  down  he  went.  As  I  expected, 
he  let  drop  his  pistol  as  he  tumbled,  and  before  he  could  get  it 
again  I  had  ridden  up  and  roped  him.  Then,  of  course,  it  wur 
easy  enough.  I  tied  him  tight  first,  poured  a  few  drops  of 
water  into  his  mouth,  fastened  him  across  the  horse  behind  the 
saddle,  and  rode  with  him  into  the  camp.  He  wur  laid  up  for 
nigh  six  weeks  with  his  ankle,  but  it  saved  his  life. 

"Hello!"  he  broke  off,  reining  back  his  horse  suddenly; 
"  there  is  a  good  bunch  of  cattle  right  up  that  dip  ahead  of  us. 
We  are  on  the  wrong  side  of  them  now,  and  if  they  was  to 
catch  sight  of  us  we  should  have  a  long  ride  before  we  came 
up  to  them.  We  must  work  round  and  come  down  on  them 
from  the  other  side  and  head  them  this  way,  then  we  shall  be 
travelling  in  the  right  direction." 

Hugh's  eye,  less  accustomed  to  search  the  plains,  had  not 
caught  the  cattle.  "  How  far  are  they  off?  "  he  said. 

"About  a  mile.  You  go  round  to  the  right  and  I'll  go 
round  to  the  left.  When  you  get  to  where  you  think  you  are 
behind  them  stop  until  you  see  me ;  or,  look  here,  you  are  new 
at  this  sort  of  thing,  so  we  may  as  well  ride  together  until  we 
get  to  your  station,  else  we  might  miss  each  other  and  lose  a  lot 
of  time." 

So  saying  he  rode  off  at  full  speed,  Hugh,  who  was  on  Prince, 
following  him.  As  they  went  Hugh  congratulated  himself  that 
he  had  not  started  by  himself,  for  riding  up  and  down  the  un- 


DRIVEN   IN.  149 

dulations,  and  making  a  half-circle  as  they  were  doing,  he  very 
soon  lost  all  idea  of  direction.  After  ten  minutes'  riding  the 
cow-boy  reined  in  his  horse. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  they  are  in  the  next  dip,  just  about  over 
the  line  of  that  bush.  I  will  go  a  bit  further  round  and  come 
down  on  the  other  side  of  them.  You  move  on  to  that  bush 
and  wait  until  you  see  me  coming,  and  then  ride  forward. 
Keep  on  their  flank.  That  dip  lies  just  about  in  the  line  of 
the  camp,  so  keep  them  going  that  way." 

Hugh  rode  until  he  approached  the  bush  Harry  had  pointed 
out,  and  then  sat  quiet  until  he  saw  the  cow-boy  approaching 
from  the  opposite  direction.  The  latter  threw  up  his  arm  and 
Hugh  moved  forward.  A  few  strides  of  the  horse  took  him 
to  the  brow,  and  there,  below  him,  some  forty  or  fifty  cattle 
were  grazing.  Broncho  Harry  was  already  dashing  down  the 
opposite  slope.  For  a  moment  the  cattle  stood  with  heads  up 
and  snorts  of  alarm,  and  then,  as  the  cow-boy  uttered  a  wild 
yell,  dashed  off  down  the  hollow.  A  little  behind  them,  one 
on  each  side,  rode  the  two  cow-boys,  and  for  three  miles  there 
was  no  change  in  their  relative  position.  Then  the  speed  of 
the  cattle  began  to  abate,  but  they  kept  on  at  a  run  for  another 
two  miles,  and  then  settled  gradually  into  a  walk.  An  hour 
later  the  camp  was  reached. 

"  There  is  no  occasion  to  watch  them,"  Broncho  Harry  said 
as  they  arrived  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  waggon.  "  They 
will  go  on  to  the  stream  and  have  a  drink,  and  then  lie  down  in 
the  shade  of  the  bushes,  or  else  mix  up  with  the  other  cattle 
down  somewhere  there.  They  have  done  enough  running  for 
to-day." 

"  Back  early,  Harry  ?  "  the  cow-boy  who  had  remained  behind 
to  look  after  the  horses  said. 

"  Yes,  we  have  been  in  luck — got  a  goodish  bunch.  Hello, 
Sam!" 

"  Hello,  Broncho  Harry  ! "  the  negro  replied,  putting  his 
head  out  of  the  waggon. 

" Got  any  hot  water,  because  we  want  tea?" 


150 

"  Not  got  now,  but  make  him  quick.  Plenty  of  fire  in  the 
ashes.  Not  expect  anyone  back  to  dinner,  only  just  twelve 
o'clock." 

"  Well,  here  we  are,  Sam,  anyhow.  Hand  me  out  a  frying- 
pan  ;  a  hot  dinner  is  better  than  a  cold  lunch  any  day.  I  have 
brought  you  in  a  stag,  Sam." 

"  Dat's  good,  Broncho,  deer's  meat  better  than  cow  meat." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  Sam.  It  does  for  a  change  ;  but  you  cannot 
go  on  eating  it  every  day  as  you  can  beef,  unless  you  have  got 
to,  and  then  one  can  eat  anything." 

"  Are  we  going  out  again  after  dinner,  Harry?  "  Hugh  asked, 
as  they  watched  the  beef  frying  over  the  embers  of  the  great  fire. 

"  No,  sirree,  we  have  done  our  day's  work.  We  have  brought 
in  our  bunch,  and  a  good  bunch  it  is.  It  is  just  luck  that  we 
came  on  them  early,  and  are  back  early.  If  it  had  been  the  other 
way  we  might  not  have  got  back  until  after  dark ;  maybe  we 
mightn't  have  got  back  until  to-morrow.  After  we  have  done 
our  meal  we  will  go  and  see  if  the  cattle  have  settled  down 
quiet,  and  if  they  have  joined  the  rest.  If  they  have,  we  will 
have  a  bathe  in  the  stream  and  then  wash  our  shirts.  It  will  be 
a  good  opportunity.  One  don't  get  many  chances  of  washing 
on  a  round-up." 

The  cattle  were  found  to  have  joined  those  brought  in  the 
day  before,  and  the  cow-boys'  programme  was  carried  out. 

"  You  ought  to  practise  with  that  six-shooter  of  yours,  Hugh  ; 
a  cow-boy  ain't  thought  much  of  if  he  can't  shoot  straight. 
Look  at  that  tin  on  the  low  bough  there.  That  has  been  there 
ever  since  we  were  here  a  year  ago.  I  mind  that  someone 
stuck  it  up  for  a  tender-foot  to  shoot  at;  now,  you  see  me 
knock  it  off.  Jehoshaphat ! "  he  exclaimed,  when,  as  he  put 
his  hand  on  the  butt  of  his  pistol,  a  sharp  crack  sounded 
beside  him,  and  the  tin  fell  to  the  ground.  A  laugh  from  Hugh 
accompanied  the  shot. 

"  How  in  thunder  did  you  do  that?  " 

"  The  usual  way,  I  suppose,"  Hugh  said.  "  I  drew  my  pis- 
tol, and  pulled  the  trigger." 


"WELL,  YOU  CAN  SHOOT."  151 

The  cow-boy  looked  him  over  from  head  to  foot.  "  I  tell 
you  what,  Hugh,  you  are  a  fraud.  You  come  here  as  a  tender- 
foot, and  you  can  sit  on  a  bucking  broncho,  you've  a  good 
notion  of  throwing  a  rope,  and  you  can  shoot  like  lightning. 
Where  did  you  get  it  all  ?  " 

"  I  have  simply  practised,"  Hugh  said,  smiling  at  the  other's 
gravity  of  manner.  "  I  made  up  my  mind  to  take  to  ranching 
some  months  ago,  and  I  practised  with  the  pistol  and  rope 
before  I  started,  and,  as  I  told  you,  I  have  been  three  months 
hunting." 

"  It  don't  seem  nateral,"  the  cow-boy  said  doubtfully.  "  I 
don't  say  the  shot  was  out  of  the  way,  for  it  wur  an  easy  mark 
enough  at  twenty  yards/  but  it  wur  the  spryness  of  the  shoot- 
ing that  fetched  me." 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  specially  practising,  Broncho.  I 
was  told  that  the  great  thing  was  to  be  able  to  draw  quick." 

"Well,  let  us  see  a  little  more  of  your  shooting."  He 
walked  to  the  tree  and  picked  up  the  tin.  Hugh  put  in  a  fresh 
cartridge  in  place  of  that  he  had  just  fired.  "  Now  I  will 
throw  this  up,  and  you  fire  at  it  in  the  air."  Bill  Royce  had 
told  Hugh  that  this  was  a  favourite  mark  of  the  cow-boys,  and 
not  having  any  tins  out  on  the  plains  he  had  thrown  up  sods  or 
the  head  of  a  stag  for  Hugh  to  fire  at.  Harry  took  his  place 
about  five  yards  from  Hugh.  "  Now,"  he  said.  Hugh  waited 
until  the  tin  reached  the  highest  point  and  then  fired.  It  flew 
upward  again;  the  other  five  shots  were  fired  in  quick  suc- 
cession, and  then  the  tin  fell  to  the  ground.  It  was  a  feat 
frequently  accomplished  among  the  cow-boys,  and  Broncho 
Harry  was  himself  perfectly  capable  of  accomplishing  it,  but 
he  was  not  the  less  surprised  at  seeing  it  performed  by  a  new- 
comer to  the  plains. 

"  Well,  you  can  shoot.  Now  let  us  see  you  draw ;  your  pis- 
tol's empty,  so  there  ain't  no  fear  of  an  accident.  Just  put  it 
in  your  belt  again.  Now  stand  facing  me.  We  will  draw 
together.  Keep  your  hand  down  by  your  side  till  I  say,  now ; 
then  draw,  cock,  and  pull  your  trigger.  Stop  !  I  will  take  my 


152  "YOU  ARE  ALL   RIGHT." 

cartridges  out,  there  ain't  no  use  in  taking  risks,  and  in   a 
hurry  my  trigger  might  go  off  too.     Now,  I  am  ready — now  !  " 

Broncho  Harry  rather  prided  himself  on  the  quickness  with 
which  he  could  draw,  but  his  pistol  was  not  out  of  his  belt 
when  the  hammer  of  Hugh's  fell,  the  lad  having  fired  from  his 
hip. 

"  Waal,  I  swar  !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Why,  how  in  thunder  did 
you  do  it  ?  I  wur  looking  at  your  hand,  and  a'most  before  I 
saw  it  move  there  was  the  thing  pinting  at  me.  Why,  I  am 
reckoned  pretty  slick,  and  I  ain't  a  spot  upon  you.  Do  it 
again,  lad."  Hugh  repeated  the  action.  "Waal,  that  beats 
me ;  I  can't  see  how  you  do  it.  Your  hand  goes  up  to  your 
hip,  thar's  a  twinkle,  and  thar's  the  pistol  cocked  and  the 
hammer  falling  at  once ;  it's  like  conjuring  !  Just  do  it  slow." 
Hugh  showed  that  as  his  hand  fell  on  the  pistol  his  thumb 
rested  on  the  hammer  and  his  forefinger  on  the  trigger,  while 
the  others  closed  on  the  butt,  drew  the  pistol  from  the  belt, 
and  threw  the  barrel  forward. 

"  It  is  just  practice,"  he  said.  "  I  have  been  at  it  for  the 
last  six  months." 

"Waal,  young  fellow,"  Broncho  Harry  said  solemnly,  "I* 
have  been  out  on  the  plains  for  ten  years,  and  I  have  seen 
pretty  considerable  shooting,  but  I  never  saw  anything  that 
was  a  circumstance  to  that.  You  are  all  right.  You  can  get 
into  a  muss  with  the  worst  bad  man  in  Texas  just  as  soon  as 
you  like,  and  you  have  got  him,  sure.  I  wouldn't  have  b'lieved 
it  if  I  hadn't  seen  it ;  it  is  a  kind  of  lightning  trick.  It  air 
useful  to  be  able  to  back  an  unbroken  broncho,  it  air  useful  to 
throw  a  rope  sartin  and  sure  at  full  gallop  over  rough  ground, 
but  it  air  fifty  times  more  useful  to  be  able  to  draw  a  pistol 
like  a  flash  as  you  do.  Waal,  let  us  go  back  to  camp.  You 
don't  mind  my  telling  the  boys.  It  would  be  hardly  fair  as 
any  of  them  should  get  into  a  muss  with  you,  thinking  as  they 
had  got  a  soft  thing ;  and  it  will  keep  you  out  of  trouble,  for 
you  may  be  sure  as  no  one  is  like  to  be  getting  up  a  muss  with 
you  when  they  know  it  would  be  sartin  death." 


"THIS   KIND  OF  THING  WON'T  LAST."  158 

"  Do  as  you  like,  Broncho ;  but  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is 
ao  fear  of  quarrelling,  everyone  seems  to  be  wonderfully  good- 
tempered,  and  not  to  mind  a  bit  what  jokes  are  played  upon 
him." 

"  That  is  so,  Hugh ;  people  are  apt  to  keep  their  temper 
when  they  know  that  if  they  don't  someone  gets  killed  ;  but  it 
won't  be  always  like  this.  You  see  we  have  all  been  going 
through  the  winter,  and  some  of  us  have  been  having  pretty  hard 
times,  and  anyhow  we  are  all  pleased  to  be  at  work  again  and 
out  on  the  plains.  But  you  will  see  that  this  kind  of  thing  won't 
last  long.  When  the  work  gets  heavy  and  men  don't  get  four 
hours  a  night  in  their  blankets,  and  the  herds  take  to  stampeding, 
and  one  thing  and  another,  men's  tempers  won't  be  as  they  is 
now ;  some  of  them  grow  sulky,  and  won't  open  their  lips  all  day ; 
and  others  get  that  crusty  that  they  are  ready  to  jump  down 
the  throat  of  the  first  man  that  speaks  to  them.  Then  trouble 
begins,  you  bet.  Besides,  when  we  get  further  south,  we  may 
come  upon  Mexican  villages,  and  where  there  is  Mexicans  there 
is  spirits,  and  where  there  is  spirits  there  is  trouble.  I  tell  you, 
lad,  you  don't  begin  to  know  about  a  cow-puncher's  life  yet." 

That  evening,  after  the  rest  of  the  outfit  had  returned  and 
supper  was  over,  Broncho  Harry  said,  "  I  have  had  about  the 
biggest  surprise  to-day,  boys,  that  I  have  ever  had.  I  looked 
upon  Hugh  here  as  a  tender-foot ;  a  good  un,  but  still  new  to  it, 
and  I  found  out  that  when  it  comes  to  a  six-shooter,  there  ain't 
a  man  in  the  camp,  nor  in  the  ranche,  and  I  doubt  whether 
there  is  in  all  Texas,  as  can  shoot  as  he  does." 

No  one  expressed  a  doubt  as  to  the  cow-boy's  assertion,  for 
on  the  plains  to  doubt  a  man's  word  is  a  grave  insult ;  but 
there  was  a  murmur  of  surprise. 

"  I  don't  say  as  he  is  the  straightest  shot,"  Harry  went  on  ; 
"  he  is  a  good  shot,  although  maybe  there  are  plenty  who  can 
beat  him  ;  but  when  it  comes  to  quickness  of  drawing,  I  never 
see  a  man  who  was  a  spot  to  him." 

"  That's  so,"  Bill  Royce  put  in.  "  Hugh  can  shoot  straight, 
wonderful  straight ;  but  I  have  seen  men  shoot  better,  and  he 


154  "HOW   ON   ARTH   DID   YOU   DO   IT?" 

ain't  quite  sartin  in  his  shooting  when  he  is  going  at  a  gallop, 
although  he'll  learn  that ;  but  as  for  quickness — well,  I  don't 
know  how  he  does  it ;  his  pistol  is  out  before  I  have  time  to 
get  a  grip  of  mine." 

"  Let  us  see  you,  Hugh,"  two  or  three  of  the  cow-boys  said 
simultaneously. 

"  I  have  no  objection,"  Hugh  said,  standing  up  ;  "  what  shall 
I  fire  at?" 

"  Oh,  fire  at  anything.  It  ain't  the  aim,  it's  the  quickness 
Broncho  and  Bill  are  talking  about." 

"  Here's  a  mark  I  have  often  seen  him  fire  at  when  we  were 
out  on  the  plains  together."  And  taking  a  stick  of  about  the 
thickness  of  his  wrist  from  the  fire,  Bill  Royce  walked  ten  or 
twelve  paces  away ;  then  he  held  out  the  stick,  which  was 
blazing  at  the  end. 

All  eyes  were  fixed  on  Hugh,  who  drew  and  fired  from  his 
hip,  and  the  burning  end  of  the  brand  flew  in  fragments. 
There  was  an  exclamation  of  astonishment  from  all  present. 

"  Waal,  I  never  !  "  Long  Tom  said.  "  In  course  the  shot  wur 
nothing  from  the  shoulder,  but  there  ain't  many  as  could  do 
it  from  the  hip  ;  but  that  ain't  so  much,  it  wur  the  quickness  ! 
How  on  arth  did  you  do  it  ?  I  had  my  eyes  on  your  hand,  and 
I  don't  know  how  it  wur  done  no  more  nor  a  baby.  Waal, 
Hugh,  I  have  never  felt  like  quarrelling  with  you,  and  you 
may  take  your  davie  I  shall  never  feel  like  it  now.  Waal,  I 
am  jiggered  !  " 

The  rest  all  assented  with  much  variety  of  strange  oaths, 
and  then  the  cow-boys'  favourite  topic  having  been  broached, 
there  was  a  good  deal  of  talk  about  shooting,  and  several  exhi- 
bitions of  skill  that  surprised  Hugh.  Long  Tom  picked  a  tiny 
gourd,  about  the  diameter  of  a  penny,  from  a  trailing  vine 
common  on  the  plains,  and  after  giving  a  stir  to  the  fire  to 
make  it  blaze  up,  went  ten  paces  away  and  held  it  up  between 
his  finger  and  thumb,  and  Broncho  Harry  shattered  it  with  a 
bullet ;  then  Broncho  went  the  same  distance  out,  turned  him- 
self sideways,  and  Long  Tom  smashed  the  bowl  of  his  pipe. 


LIGHTNING.  155 

"  Would  you  like  to  have  a  try,  Hugh?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  thank  you,  Broncho  !  I  daresay  I  might  hit  the  pipe 
if  it  were  fixed  at  that  distance,  but  I  would  not  try  when  it 
was  within  three  inches  of  your  nose  for  anything." 

"  It  will  come  in  time,  Hugh  ;  it  is  just  nerve  ;  but  I  wouldn't 
mind  holding  it  out  to  you  now.  I  should  not  be  a  bit  afeard." 

Then  they  sat  down  to  the  fire  again,  and  Hugh  heard  many 
anecdotes  of  marvellous  shooting.  Hitherto  he  had  borne  no 
nickname,  being  the  only  one  in  camp  addressed  by  his  simple 
mame ;  but  he  found  next  morning  that  he  had  been  re-chris- 
tened, and  henceforward  he  was  always  addressed  as  Lightning. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   ROUND-UP. 

DAY  by  day  the  herds  swelled,  and  at  the  end  of  two  months 
they  began  to  move  in  the  direction  of  the  general  ren- 
dezvous. Hugh  had  soon  taken  his  share  in  the  night-guarding 
of  the  cattle,  and  found  it  fascinating  work.  He  and  Broncho 
Harry  generally  worked  together.  The  first  watch  was  pre- 
ferred, because  this  allowed  a  fair  night's  rest  to  be  taken  after- 
wards;  but  at  the  same  time  the  work  was  far  harder  and 
more  arduous  than  in  the  later  watches.  The  cattle  were  still 
on  their  feet  when  the  watch  began,  and  on  reaching  them  the 
two  guards  began  to  ride  round  and  round  them,  going  in 
opposite  directions.  For  a  time  the  cattle  would  go  on  feeding, 
then  gradually  they  would  lie  down,  until  perhaps  all  but  five 
or  six  were  on  the  ground.  At  this  time,  however,  the  slightest 
noise  would  bring  them  on  to  their  feet  again,  and  then  groups 
would  try  to  leave  the  mass  to  begin  to  feed  again,  and  the 
cow-boys  had  to  drive  them  in. 

Upon  a  dark  night  they  depended  more  upon  their  horses' 
sight  than  their  own,  for  these  would  of  their  own  accord  leave 
the  close-packed  circle  and  strike  out  to  turn  back  any  animals 
that  had  wandered  from  it.  At  last,  after  an  hour  or  two,  the 
herd  would  all  subside,  and  the  cow-boys  would  flatter  them- 
selves that  their  work  was  done.  Then  one  of  the  cattle  lying 
outside  would  leap  to  his  feet  with  a  snort,  alarmed,  perhaps, 
}\  the  sudden  scamper  of  an  inquisitive  jack-rabbit,  which, 
having  come  up  to  examine  what  was  going  on,  had  fled  at  the 
approach  of  one  of  the  cow-boys.  With  a  loud  snort  the  whole 


A   STAMPEDE.  157 

herd  would  then  spring  to  their  feet.  Perhaps  after  a  time  the 
kerd  would  lie  down  again,  reassured  by  the  song  of  the  cow- 
boys, who  from  the  time  they  came  on  duty  always  continued 
to  sing,  unless  they  played  on  a  fife  or  some  other  musical  in- 
strument, which  answered  as  well  as  the  voice. 

At  other  times  a  sort  of  general  agitation  communicated 
itself  to  the  herd.  Those  on  the  outside  finding  themselves 
unable  to  leave  the  mass  owing  to  the  vigilance  of  their  guard, 
would  begin  to  move  along  its  edge ;  the  motion  would  spread, 
and  in  a  short  time  the  whole  mass  be  circling,  or,  as  the  cow- 
boys call  it,  weaving.  As  this  action,  unless  checked,  always 
terminated  in  a  general  stampede,  the  duty  of  the  cow-boys 
was  at  once  to  check  it.  This  could  only  be  done  by  wedging 
themselves  into  the  mass,  shouting  and  using  their  heavy  whips 
to  break  it  up  and  put  a  stop  to  the  motion.  This  was  danger- 
eus  work,  not  only  from  the  pressure,  but  from  the  sea  of  horns 
and  angry  tossing  heads. 

Sometimes  it  would  be  successful,  sometimes  it  would  fail. 
Above  the  lowing  and  bellowing  there  would  be  a  thunder  of 
hoofs  on  the  side  opposite  to  that  on  which  they  were  engaged. 
Then  would  rise  a  shout  of  "They  are  off! "  and  the  cow-boys 
would  edge  their  horses  out  of  the  mass,  and,  one  on  each  flank, 
gallop  at  the  top  of  their  speed  to  head  the  animals  back. 
As  soon  as  they  came  near  the  head  of  the  herd  they  would 
yell  and  shout  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  sometimes  discharging 
their  pistols  in  the  air,  pressing  the  animals  on  the  flank 
gradually  inward,  and  so  checking  the  speed  of  the  whole  until 
they  at  last  met  in  front  of  the  herd.  Sometimes  they  would 
succeed  before  two  or  three  miles  of  ground  were  passed  over ; 
sometimes  the  wild  flight  of  the  herd  could  not  be  checked 
before  morning,  when  they  would  be  thirty  or  forty  miles  away 
from  their  starting-place. 

If  unable  to  stop  them,  the  great  aim  of  the  cow-boys  was  to 
keep  them  in  one  body  :  in  that  case  no  great  trouble  resulted 
from  the  stampede.  The  other  men  would  be  out  in  the 
morning  and  the  herd  would  be  driven  back  to  its  starting- 


158  THE   HERD   IN   A   STORM. 

place.  But  if  the  herd  broke  up,  as  was  sometimes  the  case, 
and  scattered  over  the  country,  it  might  take  many  days  of 
hard  work  before  they  could  again  be  got  together.  If  the 
night  set  in  wild,  so  as  to  render  it  probable  that  the  cattle 
would  stampede,  a  third  man  was  placed  on  the  guard.  He 
would  aid  in  keeping  them  in  as  long  as  possible ;  but  if  they 
broke  the  circle  and  went  off,  his  duty  was  to  gallop  back  to 
camp.  The  cow-boys  there  would  leap  to  their  feet  in  an 
instant,  run  to  the  horses  picketed  near,  saddled  and  bridled 
ready  for  instant  use,  throw  themselves  on  their  backs,  and 
gallop  off  at  the  top  of  their  speed  in  the  direction  in  which  the 
herd  had  gone. 

Thunder-storms  were  of  not  infrequent  occurrence,  and  when 
the  clouds  were  seen  banking  up  before  sunset,  and  the  light- 
ning began  to  play,  the  cattle-guard  knew  that  they  were  in 
for  a  troubled  night.  Long  before  the  storm  approached  close 
enough  to  cause  actual  alarm  among  the  cattle  they  would 
evince  signs  of  uneasiness,  the  electrical  condition  of  the  air 
seeming  to  affect  them.  They  might  lie  down,  but  it  was  only 
to  rise  again,  and  the  distant  roll  of  the  thunder  seemed  to  be 
answered  by  their  restless  bellowing.  On  such  a  night  it  needed 
no  message  to  the  camp  to  bring  up  help.  As  the  storm  ap- 
proached, and  it  became  evident  by  the  brightness  and  rapidity 
of  the  flashes  that  it  was  going  to  be  an  unusually  severe  one, 
one  by  one  the  men  would  leave  their  fire  or  rise  from  their 
couches  and  go  out  to  their  horses,  pull  up  and  coil  their  ropes, 
leap  into  the  saddle,  wrap  a  blanket  round  them,  and  gallop  ofi 
to  the  herd,  beginning  always  to  sing  as  they  approached  it,  as 
otherwise  their  arrival  might  stampede  the  animals. 

When  the  storm  came  overhead  the  terror  of  the  cattle  rose 
to  the  highest  point,  and  the  efforts  of  the  whole  of  the  cow- 
boys of  the  outfit  scarcely  sufficed  to  restrain  them.  The 
almost  incessant  flashes  of  lightning  showed  a  sea  of  heads  and 
horns,  wild  eyes,  and  distended  nostrils.  The  thunder  was 
continuous,  and  so  terrible  were  some  of  these  storms  that  Hugh 
felt  grateful  to  the  animals  that  the  trouble  they  gave,  and  the 


AS  HARD   AS   IRON.  159 

incessant  efforts  and  activity  required  to  restrain  them,  diverted 
his  attention  from  the  terrible  war  of  elements  overhead.  On 
such  a  night  it  was  almost  certain  that  sooner  or  later  the  herd 
would  stampede,  and  once  off,  the  efforts  of  their  guard  were 
directed  to  keep  them  together  rather  than  to  head  them.  So 
long  as  they  remained  in  a  bunch  it  mattered  little  whether 
they  were  one  mile  or  thirty  from  the  camp. 

If  headed  and  held  up  they  would  probably  start  again,  and 
it  was  less  anxious  work  to  gallop  by  the  side  of  the  frightened 
mass  than  to  hold  them  in  check  when  once  their  excitement 
reached  its  height.  In  some  respects  the  ride  in  such  a  storm 
as  this  was  less  dangerous  than  upon  a  dark,  still  night,  for 
the  lightning  flashes  showed  not  only  the  exact  position  of 
the  herd,  but  greatly  diminished  the  chance  of  serious  falls  by 
lighting  up  the  whole  configuration  of  the  country,  and  show- 
ing any  obstacles  in  the  way.  Even  a  fall,  heavy  though  it 
might  be,  would  be  a  trifle  in  comparison  to  one  occurring 
while  endeavouring  to  head  the  herd,  for  in  that  case  it  would 
entail  certain  death,  as  life  would  be  trampled  out  in  an  instant 
by  the  onward  torrent  of  cattle. 

Hugh  had  by  this  time  come  to  understand  that  even  twelve 
horses  were  by  no  means  too  much  for  the  use  of  each  man. 
Wiry  and  tough  as  were  the  ponies,  the  men  who  rode  them 
seemed  to  be  iron.  Hugh  was  frequently  in  his  saddle  eighteen 
hours  a  day,  occasionally  twenty,  and  four  or  even  five  horses 
would  be  thoroughly  done  up  before  his  work  was  over.  Had 
they  been  fed  with  grain  a  smaller  number  might  have  sufficed, 
for  unless  unusually  pressed  they  could  have  been  ridden  again 
on  the  following  day ;  but  fed  entirely  upon  the  dry  grasses 
of  the  plains  they  needed  a  day's  rest  before  they  were  again 
fit  for  work. 

The  herd  increased  by  another  thousand  before  it  reached 
the  general  rendezvous  of  the  round-up,  for  each  day  six  of  the 
men  ifcoured  the  country  lying  within  ten  or  fifteen  miles  of 
the  line  of  march,  and  drove  in  all  the  cattle  met  with-  on  their 
way.  At  last  they  reached  the  stream  near  whose  banks  the 


160  ASKED   NOT  ORDERED. 

vast  herds  driven  in  from  all  quarters  were  gathered.  There 
had  been  an  occasional  day's  halt  on  the  way  to  give  a  needed 
rest  to  cattle,  horses,  and  men ;  but  now  that  the  outfit  had  ar- 
rived at  the  spot  indicated  before  they  had  left  the  headquarters 
station,  there  was  a  rest  for  four  days  before  operations  com- 
menced. 

The  time  was  employed  by  the  men  in  washing,  overhauling, 
and  mending  their  clothes,  repairing  their  saddles,  and  in  sleep. 
They  knew  nothing  of  the  position  of  the  other  outfits  of  their 
own  and  of  the  other  ranches,  but  were  sure  that  they  all  lay 
within  a  radius  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles — that  is  to  say,  all 
that  had  as  yet  arrived.  Some  had  probably  come  up  days  be- 
fore, perhaps  weeks  ;  others  would  not  be  there  for  some  time ; 
all  depended  upon  the  nature  of  the  country  to  be  worked  and 
the  distance  traversed.  There  were  several  other  outfits  scattered 
along  the  banks  of  the  stream  above  and  below  them  at  dis- 
tances of  about  half  a  mile  apart,  and  the  overseers  of  the 
different  ranches  were  busy  making  arrangements  for  the  general 
campaign.  Four  days  after  their  arrival  a  cow-boy  rode  i» 
with  a  letter  to  the  overseer  of  the  outfit.  A  few  minutes 
later  Broncho  Harry  and  four  other  hands,  among  whom  were 
Hugh  and  Bill  Royce,  were  ordered  to  saddle  up  and  to  ge 
down  to  the  central  station. 

The  term  order  is  scarcely  a  correct  one,  for  cow-boys  are 
not  men  to  be  ordered.  A  cow-boy  is  asked  to  do  a  thing,  and 
asked  in  civil  terms.  The  request  has  all  the  force  of  an  order, 
but  it  is  not  so  conveyed.  It  is  put  in  the  form/'  I  want  you 
to  do  so  and  so ; "  or,  "  Will  you  saddle  up  and  do  so  and  so  ?  " 
It  is  just  as  easy  to  put  it  in  that  form  as  in  any  other,  and 
though  the  cow-boy  knows  that  if  he  does  not  comply  with  the 
request  he  has  got  to  ride  back  to  the  headquarters  station  and 
get  his  money,  he  does  not  feel  his  dignity  injured  as  it  would 
be  by  a  direct  order.  There  are  no  men  more  independent  than 
cow  -  boys.  They  know  their  value ;  and  a  really  good  man 
knows,  and  this  was  more  especially  the  case  at  that  time,  that 
he  has  but  to  ride  to  the  next  ranche  to  get  employment.  Tke 


STARTING   FOR  THE   RENDEZVOUS.  161 

consequence  is  that  although  willing  to  work  to  the  utmost 
of  his  powers  in  the  interest  of  his  employers  he  by  no  means 
regards  that  employer  as  a  master,  but  treats  even  the  chief 
manager  on  terms  of  absolute  equality,  and  insists  upon  being 
so  treated  by  him  in  return. 

"  Broncho  Harry,"  the  overseer  said,  "  I  want  you,  Jack  John- 
son, Bowie  Bob,  Chunky  Royce,  and  Lightning  Hugh  to  saddle 
up  and  ride  down  to  the  forks  and  help  in  the  round-up.  The 
waggon  is  going  to  stay  here  till  our  herd  is  called  up.  There 
are  men  from  the  other  outfits  there ;  the  boss  is  there,  and  he 
will  settle  about  things.  Two  of  the  waggons  are  there,  so  you 
will  be  all  right  as  to  grub.  I  expect  you  will  be  there  abcut 
a  fortnight,  and  then  the  others  will  come  down  and  take  your 
place." 

"Are  we  to  take  down  our  other  horses?"  the  cow-boy 
asked. 

"  No.  No.  i  outfit  will  take  charge  of  the  cattle  as  they  are 
cut  out  and  branded.  No.  3  will  take  the  next  mob.  Any- 
how, you  won't  want  horses  except  to  take  you  down  there." 

"  All  right ! "  Harry  said,  and  proceeded  to  call  the  other  four 
together. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  horses  were  brought  in  and  saddled, 
the  blankets  rolled  up  and  strapped  to  the  saddles,  and  the  five 
men  chosen,  after  eating  a  hasty  meal,  started  for  the  point 
named,  which  was  some  twenty-five  miles  distant. 

"  Now  you  are  going  to  see  some  fun,  Hugh,"  Bill  Royce, 
who  had  got  the  nickname  of  Chunky  from  his  short,  square 
figure,  remarked  as  they  rode  along. 

"  Yes,"  Broncho  Harry  put  in,  "  you  will  have  to  look  out 
sharp,  Hugh.  I  tell  you  it  is  pretty  lively  work  when  you  get 
hold  of  a  six  months'  calf,  'and  the  old  savage  of  a  mother  is 
trying  her  best  to  hook  you.  Thar  ain't  a  day  that  some  fellow 
don't  get  hurt ;  but  as  long  as  you  don't  let  a  cow  jam  you 
against  the  posts  it  don't  much  matter.  That  is  what  you  have 
got  to  look  to  special.  A  chuck  in  the  air  don't  much  matter, 
nor  being  knocked  a  dozen  yards  or  so,  but  if  you  get  jammed 


162  "HOW  DID  HE  MANAGE  THAT?" 

by  one  of  those  brutes  against  a  fence,  there  ain't  nothing  to  do 
but  to  bury  you." 

Three  hours'  riding  brought  them  to  the  forks.  Two  or 
three  large  herds  of  cattle  could  be  made  out  far  on  the  plains  : 
another  mob  could  be  seen  not  far  from  the  wooded  hollow 
that  marked  the  course  of  the  stream.  Horsemen  were  hover- 
ing round  them,  and  there  was  a  confused  mass  of  animals  in 
what  looked  to  Hugh  like  a  strong  stockade  near  it.  A  short 
distance  away  twelve  waggons  were  drawn  up  in  regular  order 
some  fifty  yards  apart.  Columns  of  light  smoke  rising  near 
them  showed  that  cooking  was  going  on  at  each  waggon. 
Quickening  the  speed  of  their  horses  the  cow-boys  rode  on 
until  they  drew  up  at  the  waggon  of  the  ^  ranche. 

"  Howdy,  Pete,"  Broncho  Harry  said  as  he  leapt  from  his 
horse,  to  a  negro  who,  with  a  Mexican  assistant,  was  engaged  in 
cooking. 

"  Howdy,  Broncho  Harry." 

"Where  are  the  boys,  and  what's  new?" 

"  Dey  is  out  dar,"  the  negro  said,  waving  his  hand  in  the 
direction  of  the  corral.  "Some  of  dem  is  working  in  de 
herd ;  some  of  dem  is  inside.  Irish  is  in  de  waggon  :  him  leg 
broken.  New  York  John  got  killed  three  days  back." 

"That's  bad,  Pete.     How  did  he  manage  that?" 

"Old  cow  hooked  him — ran  horn  right  through  him  body. 
Irish  got  tossed  against  posts." 

"  I  suppose  there  are  boys  down  from  the  other  outfits  here, 
Pete?" 

"Yes.  Five  No.  3,  five  No.  4.  No.  4  came  in  dis  mor- 
nin'.  Now  you  come  dat  make  fifteen,  and  all  our  own  outfit ; 
dat  too  much  for  Pete  to  cook  for." 

"  Well,  you  have  got  someone  to  help  you,  Pete,  so  you  ought 
not  to  grumble." 

Pete  made  a  grimace  as  much  as  to  signify  that  he  did  not 
consider  the  assistance  o'f  the  Mexican  to  be  of  much  account. 
Between  the  men  of  these  two  races  there  was  a  general  feud, 
while  the  cow-boys  looked  down  upon  both,  and  as  a  rule 


A   YOUNG   IMP.  163 

refused  to  allow  them  to  work  with  them  except  in  the  capacity 
of  cook. 

"Where  are  our  horses,  Pete?" 

"  No.  i  horses  over  dere,"  the  negro  said,  pointing  to  a  group 
of  horses  out  on  the  plain.  "  Young  Nat  looking  arter  dem." 

"Well,  we  may  as  well  take  our  horses  out  there,  boys," 
Broncho  Harry  said,  turning  to  the  others.  "  It  is  no  use  picket- 
ing them  here  ;  we  ain't  likely  to  want  them." 

"  I  will  ride  them  out,"  Hugh  volunteered.  The  others  re- 
moved their  saddles  and  bridles,  and  Hugh  drove  them  out  to 
the  group  on  the  plain. 

"Well,  Nat,  how  are  you  getting  on?"  he  asked  a  boy  of 
about  fifteen  years  old  who  was  lying  on  the  ground  with  his 
horse's  rein  over  his  arm  near  them. 

"  Oh,  I'm  all  right,"  the  boy  replied ;  "  been  here  a  week, 
and  getting  pretty  tired  of  this  job,  you  bet,  with  nothing  to  do 
but  just  to  lie  here.  Blast  all  camps,  I  say  !  " 

"You  ought  to  be  at  school,  you  young  imp,"  Hugh  laughed. 

"  I  would  just  as  soon  be  doing  that  as  lying  here,"  the  boy 
said.  "  It  will  be  all  right  when  I  get  to  be  a  cow-boy,  but 
there  ain't  much  fun  about  this.  Just  come  in? " 

"Yes." 

"Who  is  with  you?" 

Hugh  gave  the  names. 

"  Broncho  Harry  ain't  a  bad  sort,"  the  boy  said.  "  The  others 
ain't  of  much  account." 

"You  had  better  tell  them  so,"  Hugh  said  with  a  smile. 

"  I  would  tell  them  if  I  thought  fit,"  the  boy  said  angrily, 
"You  don't  suppose  that  I'm  afraid  of  any  of  that  mob?  " 

"I  know  you  are  a  very  bad  man,  Nat,"  Hugh  said  with 
assumed  gravity,  "  a  very  dangerous  character  in  a  camp  ;  but 
I  hope  you  won't  do  any  of  them  any  harm." 

"  I  sha'n't  do  them  no  harm  if  they  don't  do  me  any,"  the  boy 
said,  "  but  I  don't  take  no  sauce  from  no  one." 

By  this  time  Hugh  had  unsaddled  Prince,  and  placing  the 
saddle  over  his  head  and  carrying  the  bridle  in  his  hand,  nodded 


164  A   BAD  SCHOOL. 

to  the  boy,  and  started  back  to  the  camp,  while  Prince  joined 
the  four  horses,  which  began  to  graze  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  rest.  Presently  two  or  three  of  the  other  horses  came  over 
to  the  new-comers,  and  after  a  little  snorting  apparently  recog- 
nized them  as  friends  with  whom  they  had  been  acquainted  at 
the  head-station,  and  this  fact  being  established  Prince  and  his 
companions  were  allowed  to  join  them. 

There  were  many  boys  like  Nat  out  on  the  plains,  for  the 
most  part  lads  who  had  run  away  from  home,  and  who  were 
now  training  up  to  be  cow-boys,  being  engaged  in  dayrherding 
the  horses — work  that  demanded  but  little  skill  or  attention. 
They  were  generally  regarded  with  favour  by  the  outfits  to 
which  they  were  attached,  for  the  cow-boys  as  a  rule  are  silent 
men,  and  the  liveliness  of  the  boys  amused  them.  These  boys 
generally  grew  up  into  the  most  reckless  and  dare-devil  of  cow- 
boys, speedily  picking  up  the  worst  language  and  imitating  the 
wildest  follies  of  their  companions,  and  they  would  have  been 
an  unmitigated  nuisance  in  the  camps  had  they  not  been  fre- 
quently sternly  called  to  order  by  men  with  whom  they  knew 
there  was  no  trifling. 

It  was  not  until  nightfall  that  the  work  ceased  and  the  cow- 
boys returned  to  their  waggons.  They  had  been  working  with- 
out a  break  since  daylight,  contenting  themselves  with  eating 
a  piece  of  bread  and  cold  meat  standing  at  their  work  in  the 
middle  of  the  day. 

"  Well,  boys,  come  in  for  a  spell  ?  "  one  of  them  asked  as  they 
came  up  to  the  fire  where  the  new  arrivals  were  seated.  "  We 
have  had  a  week  of  it,  and  it  has  been  a  pretty  tough  job. 
The  cattle  are  wonderful  wild.  I  suppose  the  thunder  has 
scared  them,  and  we  are  pretty  sure  the  Injuns  have  been 
chasing  them  lately  by  the  foot-hills.  Did  you  see  anything  of 
the  Reds?" 

"  No ;  there  were  no  signs  of  them  in  the  part  we  searched." 

"There  were  signs  further  south,"  the  other  went  on.  "We 
came  on  two  places  where  they  had  slaughtered  a  lot  of  cattle, 
and  we  hear  they  have  been  making  raids  down  into  Mexico, 


AN   UGLY   APPEARANCE.  165 

and  the  troops  have  been  out  after  them  down  by  the  frontier 
line.  Anyhow,  the  cattle  are  wilder  than  usual.  You  have 
heard,  I  suppose,  that  New  York  John  has  been  rubbed  out  ?  " 

"  Yes,  we  heard  that,  and  I  have  been  talking  to  Irish.  He 
seems  getting  on  all  right." 

"  Irish  is  a  blamed  fool.  I  told  him  over  and  over  again  he 
would  get  into  trouble  if  he  didn't  mind ;  but  nothing  could 
persuade  him  that  there  was  any  difference  between  the  ways  of 
a  Kerry  cow  and  a  Texas  steer,  and  of  course  he  came  to  grief. 
I  should  have  thought  that  New  York  John  would  have  known 
better  than  to  get  himself  hooked  like  that ;  but  it  were  not 
altogether  his  fault.  He  wur  holding  a  calf,  and  he  had  his  eye 
on  the  old  cow,  who  had  got  her  dander  up  pretty  considerable. 
One  of  the  men  had  roped  her,  and  New  York  John  naturally 
thought  that  she  was  safe.  So  he  downed  the  calf,  and  the 
brand  was  clapped  to  it,  and  the  young  un  bawls  out,  and  of 
course  the  cow  made  a  fresh  rush  to  get  at  it,  and  the  rope 
breaks,  and  she  was  on  New  York  John  afore  he  could  look 
round." 

"  But  how  came  the  rope  to  break  ?  A  man  must  be  a  fool 
and  worse  to  come  down  to  round-up  with  a  rotten  old  rope." 

"  Well,  the  rope  was  a  new  un.  You  may  guess  there  was  a 
lot  of  talk  over  it,  and  it  put  our  backs  up  a  bit  that  New  York 
John  should  get  killed  that  way.  The  rope  wur  a  new  one,  there 
warn't  no  doubt  about  that,  but  it  had  been  cut  half  through. 
Who  had  done  it,  in  course,  no  one  knew.  The  men  were  mad 
over  it,  and  ef  they  could  have  found  out  who  had  done  it  he 
would  have  swung  from  the  limb  of  a  tree  in  a  squirrel's  jump. 
There  were  two  or  three  men  who  had  had  musses  with  the 
chap  as  the  rope  belonged  to,  but  no  one  could  say  as  any  of 
them  had  cut  his  rope.  Of  course  it  might  have  been  an  acci- 
dent, but  no  one  thought  that  very  likely.  However,  there  it 
wur.  Somebody  cut  the  fellow's  rope  to  spite  him,  and  it  cost 
New  York  John  his  life,  which  was  pretty  rough  on  him." 

"What  is  the  work  for  to-morrow? " 

"  Well,  your  lot  and  the  men  of  the  other  two  outfits  are  to  be 


166  IN   THE   YARD. 

in  the  yard.  We  have  got  a  spell  off,  except,  of  course,  that 
we  have  got  to  look  after  our  own  bunch  of  cattle." 

"How  many  are  there  of  them?" 

"  About  6000  I  should  say.  I  expect  some  of  us  will  start 
driving  them  up  north  day  after  to-morrow." 

The  next  morning  Hugh  went  down  to  the  cattle-yard  as 
soon  as  they  had  finished  breakfast.  Day  had  just  broken,  and 
while  they  were  waiting  for  the  herd  to  be  brought  up  he 
looked  round  at  the  yard.  The  paling  was  composed  of  very 
strong  posts  six  feet  high,  placed  at  intervals  of  two  or  three 
inches  apart.  It  had  been  built  three  or  four  years  before,  as 
this  place  was  the  most  convenient  and  central  upon  the  plains. 
A  few  waggon  loads  of  timber  had  been  taken  out  there  a  fort- 
night before  the  arrival  of  the  teams,  with  a  gang  of  men,  who 
took  up  any  posts  that  showed  signs  of  rottenness  and  replaced 
them  by  others,  the  various  ranches  in  the  round-up  perform- 
ing this  duty  by  turns.  The  fence  inclosed  a  space  of  upwards 
of  an  acre. 

Beside  the  contingent  from  the  ^  ranche  some  forty  or 
fifty  cow-boys  from  the  other  ranches  were  gathered  within  it. 
Several  fires  were  lighted  for  heating  the  brands,  and  the  over- 
seer who  was  in  charge  of  the  work  for  the  day  divided  the 
men  into  parties,  each  group  consisting  of  representatives  of 
four  or  five  different  ranches.  In  a  short  time  a  great  herd  was 
seen  approaching,  driven  in  by  a  number  of  mounted  cow-boys. 
The  cross-bars  were  removed  from  the  opening  that  served  as 
a  gate  at  the  upper  end  of  the  yard,  and  the  reluctant  animals, 
unable  to  withstand  the  pressure  of  those  behind,  poured  in. 
Several  hundreds  entered ;  the  bars  were  dropped  again,  and 
the  animals  inclosed  stood  in  a  dense  group,  stamping  the 
ground,  and  threatening  an  attack  as  the  cow-boys  approached 
them. 

These  all  carried  their  ropes,  some  holding  them  in  their 
hands  ready  for  throwing,  while  others  had  them  coiled  over 
their  left  shoulder,  while  in  their  right  hands  they  held  their 
heavy  whips.  Those  who  were  to  fetch  out  the  calves  first 


BRANDING   CALVES.  167 

approached.  Half  a  dozen  ropes  were  thrown,  and  the  calves 
were  dragged  out,  struggling  and  calling,  or,  as  the  cow-boys 
called  it,  bawling,  to  their  mothers  for  assistance.  The  call  was 
not  in  vain.  The  cows  rushed  out  furiously  to  the  assistance 
of  their  calves.  As  each  did  so  the  cow-boy  whose  comrade 
was  dragging  the  calf  towards  one  of  the  fires  shouted  out  the 
brand  on  the  cow,  and  then,  cracking  their  whips,  and  if  neces- 
sary using  them,  they  drove  the  animal  back  into  the  mass  and 
kept  her  there,  while  the  calf  was  thrown  down  and  branded 
with  the  same  mark  as  its  mother. 

Hugh  was  among  those  told  off  to  fetch  out  the  calves.  He 
had  had  some  practice,  as  many  of  the  mavericks  found  had 
calves  by  their  side,  and  these  as  well  as  the  cows  had  been 
branded  with  the  ^.  Another  cow-boy  assisted  him  to  haul 
the  calf  by  main  force  towards  the  fire,  and  held  the  rope 
while  Hugh  ran  up  to  it.  Placing  himself  beside  it  he  leaned 
over  it,  grasped  it  by  the  flank  with  both  hands,  and  then  lifted 
it  and  flung  it  down  on  its  side.  His  comrade  then  ran  up 
and  pinned  its  head  to  the  ground,  while  Hugh  knelt  on  its 
haunches,  and  the  brander  came  up  with  a  hot  iron  and  marked 
it.  The  iron  was  held  on  long  enough  only  to  burn  off  the 
hair  and  slightly  singe  the  hide,  and  the  mark  so  made  was 
almost  indelible. 

In  addition  to  this  the  calf's  ears  were  cut,  each  ranche 
having  its  particular  mark,  such  as  two  long  slits  and  a  short  one, 
a  square  piece  cut  out  and  a  notch  on  either  side  of  it,  a  semi- 
circular piece  and  two  notches,  a  semicircle  and  a  square,  &c. 
These  marks  were  very  durable,  but  even  these  often  became 
confused  owing  to  the  ears  getting  torn  by  a  rush  through 
thorns,  or  by  the  action  of  a  neighbour's  horn  in  a  close  press 
or  during  a  stampede.  It  required  but  small  exercise  of 
strength  to  throw  a  calf  of  three  months  old ;  but  many  of 
them  were  eight  or  nine  months  and  nearly  full  grown,  and  it 
needed  a  great  exertion  of  strength  and  a  good  deal  of  knack 
to  throw  down  animals  of  this  size.  Once  or  twice  Hugh  had 
narrow  escapes,  for  some  of  the  cows,  in  spite  of  the  cow-boys' 


168  "BROKEN  UP  ALTOGETHER." 

whips,  burst  through  them  and  rushed  to  the  assistance  of  their 
calves ;  but  each  time  the  ropes  descended  over  their  heads  or 
caught  them  by  their  legs,  and  threw  them  to  the  ground  before 
they  reached  him. 

After  an  hour  of  this  work  he  was  relieved  by  one  of  the 
other  men,  and  took  his  turn  of  the  lighter  work  of  keeping 
back  the  cows.  When  every  calf  in  the  yard  had  been  branded 
the  gate  at  the  lower  end  was  opened  and  the  animals  driven 
out,  while  a  fresh  mob  was  admitted  from  the  herd.  So 
the  work  went  on  until  the  herd  had  all  passed  through  the 
yard,  and  the  calves  been  branded.  Then  there  was  a  quarter 
of  an  hour's  rest  while  another  herd  was  driven  up,  and  the 
work  recommenced.  By  nightfall  some  nine  thousand  animals 
had  passed  through  the  yard,  and  nearly  four  thousand  calves 
had  been  branded.  Begrimed  with  sweat  and  dust,  the  cow- 
boys went  down  to  the  stream,  where  most  of  them  bathed  and 
all  had  a  thorough  wash,  and  then  went  up  to  their  waggons 
to  supper. 

"  How  do  you  feel  now?  "  Broncho  Harry  asked  Hugh  when 
he  threw  himself  down  by  the  fire. 

"  I  feel  broken  up  altogether,  Harry.  My  back  and  loins 
feel  as  if  I  had  been  beaten  to  a  pulp.  I  believe  I  have  strained 
every  muscle  of  my  arms,  and  my  hands  and  wrists  are  so  stiff 
that  I  can't  close  my  fingers." 

"  Yes  ;  calf-chucking  is  pretty  hard  work  until  you  get  accus- 
tomed to  it,"  the  cow-boy  said.  "  It  is  knack  more  than 
strength,  though  it  needs  a  lot  of  strength  too  when  you  have 
got  a  rampagious  ten-months  calf  in  your  hands." 

"  I  have  not  got  the  knack  yet,"  Hugh  said ;  "  and  anything 
over  six  months  I  had  to  have  roped  by  the  legs  and  thrown, 
but  I  suppose  I  shall  be  able  to  tackle  them  in  time." 

In  the  case  of  the  cows  that  had  been  branded  only  a  year 
or  two  before  there  was  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  brand, 
and  so  to  decide  upon  the  ownership  of  the  calf;  but  in  the 
case  of  older  cows  the  brand  and  ear-marks  had  in  some  in- 
stances both  become  so  far  obliterated  that  it  was  difficult  to 


A  DAY'S  REST.  169 

decide  what  they  had  originally  been.  Over  these  brands  there 
were  sharp  and  sometimes  angry  disputes  among  the  cow-boys 
belonging  to  the  different  ranches.  The  case  was  generally 
settled  by  the  overseer  in  charge  of  the  day's  operations  calling 
upon  three  cow-boys  belonging  to  ranches  unconnected  with 
the  dispute  to  give  their  opinion  as  to  what  the  marks  had 
originally  been.  Their  decision  was  accepted  by  all  parties  as 
final,  and  the  cow  rebranded  as  well  as  the  calf. 

"  What  do  you  do  when  the  brand  is  so  far  gone  as  to  make 
it  altogether  impossible  to  say  what  it  was?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  It  would  not  get  here  at  all  in  that  state,"  the  cow-boy 
replied.  "  It  would  have  been  rebranded  at  once  by  the  outfit 
that  first  found  it  just  as  if  it  had  been  a  maverick.  But  in 
that  case,  of  course,  any  cow-boy  could  claim  the  cow  as  belong- 
ing to  his  ranche  if  he  could  convince  the  others  that  the  old 
brand  was  the  one  used  by  it.  They  never  brand  over  the  old 
mark;  that  must  be  left  as  an  evidence." 

The  next  day  happened  to  be  Sunday,  and  Hugh  felt  glad 
indeed  that  he  had  a  day  on  which  to  recover  from  his  stiff- 
ness. Sundays  were  always  kept,  except  in  cases  of  great 
emergency,  as  a  day  of  rest,  cow-boys  taking  the  opportunity 
to  wash  and  mend  their  clothes,  to  practise  shooting  with  their 
revolvers,  or  to  run  races  with  their  horses.  At  rounds-up 
these  races  afford  one  of  the  chief  interests  to  the  cow-boy, 
for  rivalry  between  the  various  ranches  runs  high,  and  the 
men  are  ready  to  bet  their  "  bottom  dollar "  upon  the  repre- 
sentative of  their  own  ranche. 

"  Have  you  ever  tried  that  horse  of  yours  against  anything 
fast,  Hugh?"  one  of  his  comrades  asked. 

"  No.  I  am  sure  he  is  very  fast,  but  I  have  never  really 
tried  him." 

"  We  were  fools  not  to  think  of  that  before,"  Broncho  Harry 
put  in.  "  We  ought  to  have  raced  him  against  some  of  the 
others,  and  have  found  out  what  he  can  do,  and  then  we  might 
have  made  a  soft  thing  of  it.  I  suppose  you  wouldn't  mind 
trying  him,  Hugh?" 


170  TRYING    HIS   SPEED. 

"  Not  at  all.  But  if  he  is  to  race  you  had  better  ride  him 
instead  of  me.  I  shouldn't  say  you  were  much  above  nine 
stone  and  a  half." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  your  stone,"  Harry  said. 
"  We  don't  reckon  that  way  out  here.  I  was  a  hundred  and 
thirty-five  pounds  last  time  I  weighed  at  the  head-station." 

"  That  is  two  pounds  more  than  I  said.  Well,  I  am  certainly 
twenty  pounds  heavier — I  should  say  twenty-five,  and  that 
makes  a  lot  of  difference." 

"  I  should  think  so.  Still  we  had  best  have  a  trial,  Hugh, 
before  we  try  to  make  a  match.  That  is  a  good  horse  of  yours. 
I  mean  the  one  you  first  mounted  and  who  played  such  tricks 
with  you.  I  should  like  some  day  to  try  him  against  my  best, 
and  see  how  they  go.  I  daresay  you  will  get  him  again 
before  the  round-up  is  over." 

"  What  length  do  you  run  your  races  here,  Broncho  ?  " 

"  In  general  they  are  short  dashes,  not  above  half  a  mile  at 
the  outside,  but  sometimes  a  match  is  made  for  some  distance. 
Well,  when  we  have  had  dinner  we  will  trot  out  into  the  plain. 
We  must  go  off  a  goodish  bit,  and  make  sure  that  none  of  the 
boys  of  the  other  ranches  are  within  sight." 

Accordingly,  when  dinner  was  over,  Broncho  Harry  and 
Hugh  went  out  to  the  horses.  Prince  come  trotting  out  as 
soon  as  he  heard  Hugh's  whistle,  and  Broncho  Harry  soon 
dropped  his  noose  over  the  neck  of  his  own  horse.  They  then 
put  on  the  saddles  and  bridles  which  they  had  brought  with 
them,  and  went  off  at  a  canter  across  the  plains.  They  ran 
three  or  four  trials.  The  result  showed  that  Broncho's  horse 
was  quicker  in  getting  off,  and  that  in  a  quarter  of  a  mile  dash 
there  was  little  to  choose  between  them,  but  at  longer  distances 
than  this  Prince  was,  in  spite  of  the  greater  weight  he  carried, 
much  the  faster. 

"That  horse  can  go,"  the  cow-boy  said  admiringly.  "I 
shouldn't  mind  if  there  were  a  pack  of  Redskins  coming 
behind  me  if  I  was  on  his  back.  The  worst  of  him  is  he  is 
so  good-looking.  If  he  was  ugly  to  look  at  we  might  clean  out 


"JUST  WHAT  I  TOLD  YOU."  171 

all  the  camps,  but  he  looks  so  good  that  I  am  afraid  we  sha'n't 
be  able  to  get  much  money  out  of  him.  Well,  now,  we  won't 
race  him  this  evening.  There  are  sure  to  be  some  matches  on, 
and  I  will  ride  my  horse.  That  way  I  shall  find  what  there  is 
in  the  camp,  and  whether  there  is  anything  that  can  beat  him 
as  much  as  your  horse  can  do.  Don't  you  go  cavorting  about 
on  him;  just  let  him  run  with  the  rest  of  the  mob.  Then  he 
won't  be  noticed.  There  is  too  much  to  be  got  through  in  this 
camp  for  men  to  take  stock  of  the  horses.  Then  if  we  keep 
him  dark  we  can  get  someone  to  set  up  his  horse  against  the 
best  of  ours.  We  will  put  the  boys  up  to  it  when  we  get  back, 
or  someone  may  be  blowing  about  your  horse." 

There  were,  as  the  cow-boy  anticipated,  a  number  of  races 
run  that  evening.  Broncho  Harry  beat  two  other  horses,  but 
lost  his  winnings  and  more  in  the  third  race,  when  he  was 
beaten  somewhat  easily  by  an  animal  which  in  point  of  looks 
was  greatly  the  inferior  of  his  own. 

"  That  is  just  what  I  told  you,  Hugh,"  he  said,  when,  after 
unsaddling  his  horse  and  sending  it  off  to  join  its  companions 
on  the  plains,  he  returned  to  the  waggon.  "  I  am  a  blessed  fool, 
for  I  ought  to  have  known  that  when  that  cross  T's  man  offered 
to  back  that  ugly-looking  brute  against  mine,  he  wur  a  sight 
better  than  he  looked.  He  just  shot  off  like  an  arrow  at  start- 
ing. I  didn't  loose  anything  afterwards,  but  I  couldn't  pick  up 
them  three  lengths  he  got  in  the  first  forty  yards.  If  we  make 
a  match  against  him  we  must  see  that  it  ain't  less  than  half  a 
mile." 

The  next  morning  the  work  in  the  stock-yards  was  resumed 
and  continued  throughout  the  week. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   RACE. 

I  DON'T  think,  Broncho,"  Hugh  said  one  evening,  "  that  1 
should  do  anything  more  about  that  race,  if  I  were  you, 
or  if  you  do,  don't  lay  out  any  money  on  it.  There  is  just  as 
much  interest  in  a  race  if  it  is  for  a  dollar  or  two  as  if  all  the 
boys  in  the  outfit  piled  their  money  upon  it.  That  horse  beat 
yours  pretty  easily,  quite  as  easy,  I  should  say,  as  Prince  could 
beat  him  for  that  distance,  and  I  really  don't  think  that  Prince 
would  have  any  pull  of  him  in  races  of  the  length  you  have 
on  here.  In  a  twenty-mile  gallop  I  feel  sure  he  would  leave 
anything  in  camp  behind  easily,  but  I  certainly  would  not 
race  him  any  long  distance  of  that  sort.  If  I  had  a  troop  of 
Indians  after  me  Prince  would  have  to  do  his  best  whether  it 
was  twenty  miles  or  fifty;  but  I  would  not  press  him  when 
it  was  merely  a  question  of  making  money  on  him.  Your  horse 
was  beaten,  and,  of  course,  we  none  of  us  like  to  own  that  the 
cross  T's  men  have  got  a  better  horse  than  we  have.  I  am 
quite  willing  that  Prince  should  run  for  the  honour  of  the  ranche, 
but  I  don't  feel  at  all  sure  about  his  winning,  and  should  be 
sorry  to  see  the  boys  plank  their  dollars  down  heavily  upon  him." 

"  All  right,  Hugh  !  it  is  your  horse,  and  I  will  do  as  you  want  ; 
but  I  should  like  to  take  that  fellow  down  a  bit.  He  is  one  of 
those  fellows  as  is  always  blowing.  He  rather  likes  to  be  thought 
a  bad  man,  and  is  said  to  be  very  handy  with  his  six-shooter." 

On  Sunday  morning  after  breakfast  was  over  the  cow-boy 
in  question,  with  two  or  three  men  of  the  same  ranche,  came 
across  from  their  waggon  to  that  of  the  ^  men. 


A  CHALLENGE.  173 

"  Have  you  got  anything  else  that  can  go  in  this  crowd  ?  "  he 
said,  addressing  Broncho  Harry.  "  There  don't  seem  any  horses 
worth  talking  about  in  the  whole  round-up.  Some  of  our 
boys  say  as  how  they  have  seen  one  of  your  lot  on  a  likely- 
looking  bay." 

"  Well,  I  don't  deny  he  is  a  good-looking  horse,"  Broncho 
Harry  said,  "  and  can  go  a  bit,  but  he  is  slow  at  starting,  and 
that  critter  of  yours  is  too  speedy  for  the  bay  to  have  a  chance 
of  catching  him  up  in  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  Make  it  a  bit  over, 
and  I  will  ride  him  myself  against  you  if  you  like." 

"  I  don't  care  about  a  half-mile,"  the  man  said,  "  but  I  will 
split  the  difference,  if  you  like ;  or  if  you  fancy  your  critter  for 
a  long  journey,  I  am  open  to  make  a  match  ten  miles  out  and 
back,  each  side  to  put  down  two  hundred  dollars." 

"  What  do  you  say  to  that,  mate  ?  "  Broncho  Harry  said,  turn- 
ing to  Hugh. 

Hugh  shook  his  head  decidedly.  "I  wouldn't  have  him 
ridden  at  racing  speed  twenty  miles  if  there  were  a  thousand 
dollars  at  stake,"  he  said  ;  "but  if  you  like  to  take  up  the  other 
offer  you  can  ride  him." 

"  Oh  !  it  is  your  horse,  is  it  ?  "  the  cow-boy  said ;  "  why  don't 
you  ride  him  yourself?  " 

"  Because  I  ride  something  like  two  stone  heavier  than  you 
do,"  Hugh  said  ;  "  and  if  the  horse  is  going  to  race  he  may  as 
well  have  a  fair  chance." 

"  Well,  how  much  shall  it  be  for  ?  "  the  cow-boy  said,  turning 
again  to  Broncho  Harry.  "  I  suppose  we  may  as  well  say  the 
same  stake.  A  hundred  dollars  a  side,  I  suppose.  That  won't 
hurt  you  if  you  fancy  the  horse." 

Two  or  three  of  the  ^  men  broke  in  together,  "Take  him 
up,  Broncho,  we  will  all  chip  in." 

"  Very  well,  then,  that  is  settled,"  Broncho  Harry  said.  "  Shall 
we  say  five  o'clock?  I  suppose  we  shall  ride  the  same  course 
as  last  time.  I  will  go  out  now  and  step  the  distance  if  you 
will  go  on  with  me." 

"  All  right !  "  the  man  said ;  and  they  at  once  proceeded  to 


174  PUTTING   UP  THE   MONEY. 

mark  out  a  distance  of  seven  hundred  paces,  which  they  both 
agreed  was  somewhere  about  half-way  between  a  quarter  and 
half  a  mile.  A  wand,  to  which  Broncho  attached  his  necker- 
chief, was  stuck  up  as  the  winning-post,  while  a  low  bush 
marked  the  point  from  which  they  had  started  to  measure. 
The  news  soon  spread  through  the  camp,  and  many  of  the  cow- 
boys of  the  other  ranches  strolled  in  to  find  out  what  the  ^ 
men  thought  of  their  chances,  and  to  see  whether  they  were 
disposed  to  back  their  horse.  Hugh,  however,  persuaded  them 
not  to  risk  their  money. 

"You  see,"  he  said,  "my  horse  didn't  beat  Broncho's  by 
much." 

"  No  more  did  the  other  chap,  Hugh ;  he  just  jumped  two 
lengths  ahead,  and  after  that  Broncho  held  him." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that,"  Hugh  replied,  "  but  we  don't  know  that 
he  was  doing  his  best." 

"  That  is  so,"  Broncho  agreed.  "  He  knew  he  had  got  me, 
and  there  was  no  use  in  giving  his  horse  away.  I  expect  he 
had  got  a  bit  in  hand.  I  don't  think  it  is  good  enough  to  bet 
on.  Now  let  us  get  this  money  together." 

Twenty  of  the  men  put  down  their  five  dollars  at  once  ;  and 
as  the  others  wished  also  to  have  a  share,  Broncho  Harry  said, 
"  Well,  you  three  put  in  your  five  dollars  each,  and  Hugh  and  I 
will  make  it  up  to  fifty.  Like  enough  th°y  will  be  laying  odds 
on  their  horse,  especially  when  they  find  we  won't  bet,  so  that 
at  the  last  moment  I  will  take  them  up  for  this  fifty,  and  if  we 
win  we  will  put  it  to  the  stakes  and  divide  up  all  round." 

The  proposal  was  at  once  agreed  to. 

Towards  the  afternoon  they  found  that  the  ^  men  were 
offering  three  and  four  to  one  upon  their  horse,  for  the  odds 
had  run  up  rapidly,  as  none  of  the  other  cow-boys  were  disposed 
to  back  the  ^,  seeing  that  the  men  of  that  ranche  would  not 
bet  on  their  horse.  At  the  appointed  hour  the  two  competitors 
went  to  the  post.  There  had  been  several  minor  races,  but 
these  had  attracted  comparatively  little  interest ;  every  man  in 
camp,  however,  had  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  this 


THE   START.  175 

contest,  and  they  were  now  gathered  near  the  winning-post.  A 
cow-boy  belonging  to  a  neutral  ranche  was  to  act  as  starter. 
The  two  riders  had  divested  themselves  of  their  heavy  boots. 

"You  must  shake  him  up  to  begin  with,  Broncho,"  Hugh 
had  said  to  him  before  he  mounted.  "  He  will  do  his  best 
afterwards.  He  hates  being  passed,  and  when  he  sees  the  other 
ahead  of  him  he  will  go  all  he  knows." 

"  Now,"  the  starter  said,  when  the  two  horses  stood  side  by 
side  in  a  line  with  him,  "  I  shall  walk  on  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  ahead  so  that  you  can  both  see  me,  then  I  shall  hold  up 
my  six-shooter  and  fire.  Don't  either  of  you  start  till  I  do. 
I  may  fire  straight  off.  I  may  wait  a  minute  after  I  have  got 
my  hand  up.  You  have  got  to  keep  your  eyes  on  me,  and 
when  you  see  the  flash  then  you  let  them  go." 

Both  men  fastened  their  spurs  on  to  their  stockinged  feet, 
and  as  the  pistol  went  off  struck  their  heels  into  their  mounts, 
while,  at  the  same  moment,  Broncho  Harry  brought  down  his 
whip  smartly  on  Prince's  quarter.  Astonished  at  this  treatment, 
the  animal  gave  a  bound  forward  and  started  at  full  gallop. 

There  was  no  occasion  for  the  other  man  to  use  his  whip  ;  his 
horse  knew  what  was  expected  of  it,  and  with  its  hind  legs 
gathered  under  it,  had  been  expecting  the  signal,  and  was  even 
more  quickly  away  than  Prince.  It  did  not,  however,  gain 
more  than  a  length.  For  the  first  three  hundred  yards  the 
horses  maintained  their  relative  position,  but  Prince  was  tug- 
ging at  his  bridle ;  and  his  rider,  though  shouting  and  yelling 
as  if  to  urge  him  to  his  fullest  speed,  was  yet  holding  him  in. 
Then  the  leading  horseman,  thinking  that  Prince  was  doing  his 
best,  and  feeling  certain  that  he  had  the  race  in  hand,  dug  his 
spurs  into  his  horse,  and  the  animal  in  a  few  bounds  had  added 
another  length  to  his  lead ;  but  Broncho  Harry  loosened  his 
pull  at  the  reins  and  let  Prince  go,  and  before  another  hundred 
yards  had  been  passed  his  head  was  level  with  the  other's 
stirrup. 

The  ^  man  whipped  and  spurred,  while  Broncho  Harry 
sat  quiet  on  his  horse,  and  contented  himself  by  maintaining 


176  WON   BY   THREE   LENGTHS. 

his  present  position.  When  a  hundred  yards  from  home  he 
shook  his  horse  up,  and  slightly  touched  him  with  his  spur. 
Almost  instantaneously  Prince  was  level  with  his  opponent, 
and  then  dashing  on  ahead  passed  the  flag-post  three  lengths 
in  advance  amidst  a  loud  cheer  from  the  ^  men,  and  from 
most  of  the  other  cow-boys  ;  for  although  few  had  ventured  to 
back  the  horse,  there  was  a  general  feeling  of  satisfaction  at 
seeing  the  ^  man  beaten.  The  latter  without  a  word  circled 
round  and  rode  straight  back  to  his  waggon,  and  the  stake- 
holder handed  over  the  stake  and  bets,  which  had  both  been 
deposited  with  him,  to  Broncho  Harry. 

"  Two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,"  he  said,  as  he  put  the  roll 
of  notes  in  his  pocket,  for  the  bets  had  been  made  at  three  to 
one.  "  I  call  that  an  easier  way  of  making  money  than  cow- 
punching.  I  can't  stand  treat,  boys,  because  there  is  no  liquor 
in  camp,  but  remember  I  owe  you  one  all  round  the  first  time 
we  meet  in  a  saloon." 

Returning  to  camp  the  division  was  made,  and  each  of  the 
twenty -five  men  received  his  share  of  ten  dollars,  together 
with  the  money  he  had  staked. 

"  I  shouldn't  be  surprised,  Hugh,"  Broncho  Harry  said  as 
they  sat  round  the  fire,  "  if  we  have  trouble  with  that  skunk. 
He  is  a  bad-tempered  lot  at  best,  and  he  dropped  his  money 
heavy,  for  I  hear  he  put  in  all  the  stake  himself,  and  he  bet 
some  besides.  He  took  twenty  off  me  last  week,  but  he  has 
dropped  pretty  well  half  his  season's  money.  You  see  if  he 
don't  try  and  get  up  trouble." 

"  If  he  does,  leave  him  to  me,  Harry." 

"  I  don't  want  to  leave  him  to  you,  Hugh.  I  rode  the  race, 
and  if  he  wants  fighting,  he  will  get  it  here ;  but  I  am  afraid  it 
is  likely  enough  he  will  try  and  make  trouble  with  you.  He 
knows  that  I  am  a  pretty  tough  hand,  but  he  thinks  you 
nothing  but  a  tender-foot,  and  that  sort  of  fellow  always  fixes 
a  quarrel  on  a  soft  if  he  gets  the  chance." 

"  Well,  as  you  know,  Harry,  I  can  take  care  of  myself,  and 
I  would  much  rather  it  was  me  than  you.  I  know  that  you 


"THE  WORST  SORT  OF  WHITE."  177 

are  a  good  deal  better  shot  than  I  am,  but  you  know  you  are 
not  nearly  so  quick  with  your  weapon.  There  would  be  no 
occasion  to  shoot,  I  fancy." 

"  You  are  right  there,  lad ;  if  you  get  the  drop  on  him,  you 
will  see  he  will  weaken  directly." 

The  evening,  however,  passed  off  without  the  defeated  cow- 
boy making  his  appearance. 

"  He  reckons  it  wouldn't  do,"  Long  Tom  said.  "  You  see 
the  hull  crowd  would  be  agin  him  if  he  were  to  come  and  get 
up  a  muss  because  he  has  been  beat  in  a  race.  A  fellow  who 
runs  his  horse  is  bound  to  look  pleasant  whether  he  wins  or 
whether  he  loses,  and  a  good  many  of  the  boys  was  saying 
as  they  never  see  a  worse  thing  than  the  way  he  galloped 
off  after  Broncho  came  in  ahead  of  him.  If  he  was  to  come 
down  here  and  make  a  muss,  he  knows  that  for  sure  the  crowd 
wouldn't  stand  it,  and  that  if  everything  wasn't  perfectly 
square,  they  would  come  Judge  Lynch  on  him  in  no  time. 
Now  a  man  may  take  the  chance  of  being  shot  in  a  quarrel ; 
but  when,  if  he  ain't  shot  by  one  man  he  is  likely  to  get  hung 
by  a  crowd,  it  takes  a  pretty  hard  man  to  run  the  chances ; 
only,  look  out  for  him,  Broncho.  I  believe  he  has  got  a  touch 
of  Mexican  blood  in  him,  although,  I  dare  say,  he  would  shoot 
the  man  who  ventured  to  say  so,  only  it  is  there  for  all  that, 
and  you  know  a  Mexican  don't  mind  waiting  months  so  that 
he  gets  even  at  last." 

"  That's  so,"  Broncho  Harry  agreed  ;  "  a  greaser  is  about  the 
worst  sort  of  white ;  that  is,  if  you  can  call  them  white.  I 
don't  know  but  I  hate  them  more  than  Injuns." 

On  the  following  morning  half  No.  i  outfit  started  north, 
with  a  herd  of  5000  cattle  that  had  been  picked  out  from 
those  driven  in  and  branded ;  and  Hugh,  with  his  four  mates, 
now  took  their  turn  at  driving  in  the  herds  to  the  yard. 
This  was  much  more  to  Hugh's  taste  than  the  previous  work 
had  been.  He  did  not  mind  the  work  of  hauling  out  and  throw- 
ing the  calves,  nor  of  keeping  back  the  cows,  but  he  hated 
seeing  the  calves  branded,  and  still  more,  the  operation  of 


178  DANGEROUS   WORK. 

cutting  their  ears.  It  was,  of  course,  necessary  work,  but  it 
was  painful  to  him  to  share  in,  and  indeed  he  had  generally 
managed  to  get  Bill  Royce  to  exchange  work  with  him  when 
he  was  told  off  to  perform  these  operations. 

The  herding,  on  the  other  hand,  was  good  fun.  The  animals 
seemed  to  have  an  instinctive  repulsion  for  the  stock-yard; 
many  of  them  had  been  branded  there  the  previous  year,  and 
probably  recognized  the  spot.  At  any  rate,  there  were  constant 
attempts  to  break  away,  and  it  needed  all  the  energy  and 
vigilance  of  their  guard  to  drive  them  down  to  the  yard,  and 
still  more  to  keep  them  there  while  awaiting  their  turn  to 
enter  it.  But  more  exciting  still,  and  much  more  dangerous, 
was  the  work  of  those  who  kept  guard  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
yard.  As  the  animals  came  out,  the  calves  were  half  mad 
with  terror  and  pain,  and  the  cows  furious  at  the  defeat  of 
their  efforts  to  succour  their  offspring,  so  that  it  was  dangerous 
work  for  the  men  of  the  various  ranches  to  pick  out  the  animals 
bearing  their  brand  and  to  drive  them  off  to  the  knot  of 
animals  gathered  at  some  little  distance  away  under  the  guard 
of  two  of  their  comrades. 

Sometimes  the  cows  made  furious  charges,  which  it  needed 
all  the  agility  of  horse  and  rider  to  avoid ;  then,  as  the  animal 
rushed  past,  a  rope  would  be  thrown  over  its  head  or  under  its 
leg,  and  an  instant  later  it  would  come  to  the  ground  with  a 
crash.  This  generally  proved  sufficient.  The  cow,  when  the 
rope  was  slackened,  rose  to  its  feet  in  a  half  dazed  way  and 
walked  heavily  off,  with  the  evident  impression  upon  its  mind 
that  an  earthquake  had  taken  place.  Hugh  was  glad  when  he 
heard  in  the  middle  of  the  day  that  the  rest  of  the  outfit  had 
arrived  with  the  waggon  and  all  the  horses — for  he  felt  that 
Prince  had  had  enough  of  it — and  he  at  once  galloped  off,  roped 
one  of  his  own  horses,  shifted  the  saddle  on  to  him,  and  went 
back  to  work. 

One  or  two  of  the  bulls  gave  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  charg- 
ing hither  and  thither  furiously  as  they  came  out  from  the  yard. 
In  these  cases  three  or  four  of  the  cow-boys  united,  and  while 


"  YOU  BOUGHT  HIM,  DID  YOU?"  179 

one  attracted  his  attention,  the  others  threw  their  ropes.  Some 
of  the  bulls  had  to  be  thrown  half  a  dozen  times  before  they 
were  subdued. 

A  few  days  later  the  ^  man,  who  went  by  the  name  of 
Flash  Bill,  walked  up  to  the  fire  round  which  the  cow-boys  of 
No.  2  outfit  were  sitting. 

"  I  have  just  come  across  to  say  I  am  sorry  I  rode  off  that 
day  you  beat  me,  Broncho.  I  allow  it  was  a  mean  trick  of  me, 
but  I  was  riled  pretty  considerable ;  still  I  oughtn't  ter  have 
done  it;  it  wurn't  the  right  thing." 

"  It  wurn't,"  Harry  said ;  "  but  now  you  own  up  there  is  an 
end  of  it.  Sit  right  down  and  have  a  smoke." 

For  some  time  the  conversation  turned  upon  horses.  Two 
or  three  other  men  of  the  ^  ranche  sauntered  up  and  joined 
in.  Presently  Flash  Bill  turned  to  Hugh,  who  had  taken  no 
part  in  the  conversation,  and  said,  "  Have  you  a  mind  to  trade 
that  horse  ?  " 

"No,  I  wouldn't  sell  it  at  any  price,"  Hugh  said.  "It 
exactly  suits  me,  and  I  should  find  difficulty  in  getting  another 
as  good." 

"  Seems  to  me  as  I  have  seen  that  horse  before,"  the  man 
said.  "Had  him  long?" 

"  I  have  had  him  about  eight  months,"  Hugh  replied. 

"  Curious ;  I  seem  to  know  him.  Can't  think  where  I  have 
seen  him  ;  somewhere  out  West." 

"  I  bought  him  at  M'Kinney,"  Hugh  said. 

"  Oh  !     You  bought  him,  did  you  ?  " 

"How  do  you  suppose  I  got  him?"  Hugh  asked  shortly. 

"  Oh  !  there  are  plenty  of  horses  out  on  these  plains  as  never 
was  paid  for,"  Flash  Bill  said. 

"  I  don't  say  there  are  not,"  Hugh  replied.  "  At  any  rate, 
I  expect  you  are  a  better  authority  about  that  than  I  am." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that? " 

"  I  mean  exactly  what  I  say,"  Hugh  said  quietly. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  as  I  have  been  a  horse- thief !  "  the  man 
ex^  aimed  furiously. 


180  "TAKE  THAT  BACK." 

"  I  mean  to  say  exactly  what  I  did  say,"  Hugh  replied. 

"  Then  you  are  a  liar  ! "  and  the  man's  hand  went  to  his 
hip.  To  his  astonishment,  before  his  finger  had  closed  on  the 
butt  of  his  pistol,  he  was  looking  down  the  barrel  of  Hugh's 
revolver. 

"  Drop  that,"  Hugh  exclaimed,  "  or  I  fire  !"  Flash  Bill  threw 
up  his  hand. 

"  Now  you  will  take  that  back,"  Hugh  said. 

"  I  take  it  back,"  Flash  Bill  said  sullenly.  "You've  got  the 
drop  on  me,  though  how  you  did  it  I  don't  know.  There  ain't 
nothing  more  to  be  said.  I  take  it  back." 

"  There  is  an  end  of  it,  then,"  Hugh  said,  replacing  his  pistol 
in  his  belt.  "  You  thought  you  had  got  a  soft  thing.  You  see 
you've  made  a  mistake." 

"You  had  better  git,  Flash  Bill,"  Broncho  Harry  said. 
"  You  ain't  wanted  here.  You  came  over  to  make  a  muss,  and 
only  I  knowed  as  Hugh  could  hold  his  own  with  you  I  would 
have  put  a  bullet  into  you  myself  when  I  saw  your  hand  go  to 
your  pistol.  You  git,  and  if  you  will  take  my  advice,  you  will 
git  altogether.  You  can't  play  the  bad  man  in  this  camp  any 
longer,  after  weakening  before  a  young  chap  as  is  little  more 
than  a  tender- foot." 

With  a  muttered  execration  Flash  Bill  got  up,  and,  followed 
by  the  men  of  his  own  ranche,  walked  off. 

"  You  did  mighty  well,  considering  that  it  is  the  first  trouble 
you've  been  in,  Hugh ;  but  you  did  wrong  in  not  shooting. 
The  rule  on  the  plains  is,  if  one  man  calls  another  either  a  liar 
or  a  coward,  that  fellow  has  a  right  to  shoot  him  down  if  he 
can  get  his  gun  out  first.  That's  the  rule,  ain't  it,  boys?" 

There  was  a  chorus  of  assent. 

"You  may  call  a  man  pretty  nigh  everything  else,  and  it 
don't  go  for  much.  We  ain't  chice  as  to  our  words  here ;  but 
them  two  words,  liar  and  coward,  is  death,  and  you  would  have 
done  well  to  have  shot  him.  You  bet,  you'll  have  trouble  with 
that  fellow  some  day.  You'll  see  he  will  go  now,  but  you'll 
hear  of  him  again." 


A   COW-BOY   CHALLENGE.  181 

"  I  could  no  more  have  shot  him  than  I  could  have  flown," 
Hugh  said,  "  for  he  was  really  unarmed." 

"  He  would  have  shot  you  if  he  had  been  heeled  first,"  Long 
Tom  said,  "  and  there  ain't  a  man  in  the  camp  but  would  have 
said  that  you  had  been  perfectly  right  if  you  had  shot  him,  for 
it  is  sartin  he  came  over  here  bound  to  kill  you.  I  agree  with 
Broncho.  You  have  done  a  mighty  soft  thing,  and  maybe 
you  will  be  sorry  for  it  some  day.  I  have  heard  say  that 
Flash  Bill  has  been  a  mighty  hard  man  in  his  time,  and  I  guess 
as  stealing  horses  ain't  been  the  worse  thing  he  has  done, 
and  I  reckon  he  has  come  back  here  to  work  for  a  bit,  because 
he  has  made  it  too  hot  for  himself  in  the  settlements.  Well, 
it's  a  pity  you  didn't  shoot." 

The  next  morning,  as  they  were  saddling  their  horses,  Flash 
Bill  rode  past.  He  had  his  blankets  and  kit  strapped  behind 
his  saddle.  He  checked  his  horse  as  he  came  up  to  them. 
"  I  give  you  warning,"  he  said  to  Hugh,  "  that  I'll  shoot  at 
sight  when  we  meet  again  !  You  too,  Broncho  Harry." 

"  All  right ! "  Broncho  Harry  replied.  "  We  shall  both  be 
ready  for  you."  Without  another  word  Flash  Bill  put  spurs 
to  his  horse  and  galloped  away. 

This  was  the  regular  form  of  challenge  among  the  cow-boys. 
Sometimes  after  a  quarrel,  in  which  one  had  got  the  drop  of 
the  other,  and  the  latter  had  been  obliged  to  "  take  back  "  what 
he  had  said,  mutual  friends  would  interfere ;  and  if  the  row  had 
taken  place  when  one  or  other  of  the  men  had  been  drinking, 
*or  when  there  was  no  previous  malice  or  dislike  between  the 
''men,  the  matter  would  be  made  up  and  things  go  on  as  before. 
If,  however,  the  quarrel  had  been  a  deliberate  one,  and  one  or 
other  considered  himself  still  aggrieved,  he  would  take  his  dis- 
charge and  leave  the  camp  on  the  following  morning,  giving 
his  antagonist  notice  that  he  should  shoot  at  sight  when  they 
next  met,  and  whether 'the  meeting  was  alone  on  the  plains,  in 
a  drinking  saloon,  or  in  a  street,  both  parties  would  draw  and 
fire  the  moment  their  eyes  fell  on  each  other. 

That  Flash  Bill  should  have  been  forced  to  take  back  his 


182  "IT'S  A  SORT  OF  JOKE  OF  OURS." 

words  by  this  young  hand  of  the  ^  ranch e  was  a  matter  ol 
the  deepest  astonishment  to  the  camp,  and  Hugh  found  himself 
quite  a  popular  character,  for  Flash  Bill  had  made  himself  very 
obnoxious ;  and  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  men  of  his 
own  stamp  in  the  ^  outfit,  the  men  of  that  body  were  more 
pleased  than  anyone  else  that  the  bully  had  had  to  leave. 
None  were  more  astonished  than  the  men  of  the  other  outfits 
of  the  ^  ranche.  They  had  heard  Hugh  addressed  as  Light- 
ning ;  but  curiosity  is  not  a  cow-boy  failing,  and  few  had  given 
a  thought  as  to  how  he  had  come  by  the  appellation.  One  or 
two  had  asked  the  question,  but  Broncho  Harry  had,  the  night 
before  his  party  started  to  the  round-up,  said  to  the  others, 
"  Look  here,  boys.  If  anyone  asks  how  Lightning  Hugh  came 
by  his  name,  don't  you  give  him  away.  They  will  larn  one  of 
these  days,  and  it  will  be  as  good  as  a  theyater  when  he  does 
that  gun  trick  of  his.  So  keep  it  dark  from  the  other  boys." 

The  few  questions  asked,  therefore,  had  been  met  with  a 
laugh. 

"  It  is  a  sort  of  joke  of  ours,"  Broncho  Harry  had  said  to  one 
of  the  questioners.  "  You  will  see  one  of  these  days  why  it 
fits  him." 

Hugh  was  not  sorry  when  the  time  came  for  his  outfit  to 
start.  They  had  charge  of  a  herd  of  eight  or  nine  thousand 
animals  all  belonging  to  the  ^.  It  was  customary  for  most 
of  the  ranches  to  drive  their  own  cattle,  after  a  round-up,  to- 
wards the  neighbourhood  of  their  station  for  the  convenience  of 
cutting  out  the  steers  that  were  to  be  sent  down  to  market,  or 
herds,  principally  of  cows  and  calves,  for  purchasers  who  intended 
to  establish  ranches  in  the  still  unoccupied  territory  in  New 
Mexico,  Colorado,  Dakota,  and  Montana.  Some  of  these  herds 
would  have  thousands  of  miles  to  travel,  and  be  many  months 
upon  the  journey.  Many  of  the  cow-boys  looked  forward  to 
taking  service  with  these  herds,  and  trying  life  under  new  con- 
ditions in  the  northern  territories. 

When  the  beef  herds,  and  such  cow  herds  as  the  manager  of 
the  ranche  wished  to  sell,  had  been  picked  out  and  sent  off,  the 


"FIVE  TOO  MANY."  183 

rest  of  the  cattle  would  be  free  to  wander  anywhere  they  liked 
over  the  whole  country  until  they  were  again  swept  together 
for  the  round-up,  unless  other  sales  were  effected  in  the  mean- 
time, in  which  case  parties  of  cow-boys  would  go  out  to  cut 
out  and  drive  in  the  number  required.  The  number  of  cattle 
collected  at,  the  rounds-up  was  enormous,  many  of  the  ranches 
owning  from  forty  to  eighty  thousand  cattle.  A  considerable 
number  were  not  driven  in  at  the  round-up,  as  the  greater 
portion  of  the  beef-cattle,  which  had  already  been  branded, 
were  cut  out  and  left  behind  by  the  various  outfits,  and  only 
the  cows  and  calves,  with  a  few  bulls  to  serve  as  leaders,  were 
driven  in.  Nevertheless,  at  these  great  rounds-up  in  Texas, 
the  number  of  the  animals  collected  mounted  up  to  between 
two  and  three  hundred  thousand. 

Two-thirds  of  the  work  was  over  when  No.  2  outfit  of  the 
^  ranche  started. 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  that  is  over,  Bill,"  Hugh  said,  as  they  halted 
at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  march. 

"  I  am  not  sorry,"  Bill  Royce  replied ;  "  it  is  desperate  hard 
work.  All  day  at  the  stock-yard,  and  half  one's  time  at  night 
on  guard  with  the  herds,  is  a  little  too  much  for  anyone." 

"  Yes,  it  has  been  hard  work,"  Hugh  said ;  "  but  I  don't  think 
I  meant  that  so  much  as  that  it  was  not  so  pleasant  in  other 
ways  as  usual.  The  men  are  too  tired  to  talk  or  sing  of  an  even- 
ing. One  breakfasted,  or  rather  swallowed  one's  food  half  asleep 
before  daylight,  took  one's  dinner  standing  while  at  work,  and 
was  too  tired  to  enjoy  one's  supper." 

"  I  reckon  it  has  been  a  good  round-up,"  Broncho  Harry  said. 
"  There  have  been  only  four  men  killed  by  the  cattle,  and  there 
haven't  been  more  than  five  or  six  shooting  scrapes.  Let  me 
think  !  yes,  only  five  men  have  been  shot." 

"  That  is  five  too  many,  Broncho,"  Hugh  said. 

"  Well,  that  is  so  in  one  way,  Hugh  ;  but  you  see  we  should 
never  get  on  out  here  without  shooting." 

"Why  shouldn't  we?" 

"  Because  we  are  an  all-fired  rough  lot  out  here.    There  ain't 


184  A  DEFENCE  OF  THE  REVOLVER. 

no  law,  and  no  sheriffs,  and  no  police,  and  no  troops.  How  in 
thunder  would  you  keep  order  if  it  weren't  for  the  six- 
shooter  ?  Thar  would  be  no  peace,  and  the  men  would  be  always 
quarrelling  and  wrangling.  How  would  you  work  it  anyhow  ? 
It  is  just  because  a  quarrel  means  a  shooting  scrape  that  men 
don't  quarrel,  and  that  every  one  keeps  a  civil  tongue  in  his 
head.  There  ain't  nowhere  in  the  world  where  there  is  so  little 
quarrelling  as  out  here  on  the  plains.  You  see,  if  we  didn't 
all  carry  six-shooters,  and  were  ready  to  use  them,  the  bad-tem- 
pered men,  and  the  hard  men,  would  have  it  their  own  way. 
Big  fellows  like  you  would  be  able  to  bully  little  fellows  like 
me.  We  should  get  all  the  bad  men  from  the  towns  when- 
ever they  found  the  settlements  too  hot  for  them.  We  should 
have  murderers,  and  gamblers,  and  horse-thieves  coming  and 
mixing  themselves  up  with  us.  I  tell  you,  Hugh,  that  with- 
out the  revolver  there  would  be  no  living  out  here.  No, 
sirree,  the  six-shooter  puts  us  all  on  a  level,  and  each  man  has 
got  to  respect  another.  I  don't  say  as  there  ain't  a  lot  wiped 
out  every  year,  because  there  is ;  but  I  say  that  it  is  better  so 
than  it  would  be  without  it.  When  these  plains  get  settled 
up,  and  the  grangers  have  their  farms  on  them,  and  the  great 
cattle  ranches  go,  and  you  get  sheriffs,  and  judges,  and  all  that, 
the  six-shooter  will  go  too,  but  you  can't  do  without  it  till 
then.  The  revolver  is  our  sheriff,  and  judge,  and  executioner 
all  rolled  in  one.  No  one  who  is  quiet  and  peaceable  has  got 
much  occasion  to  use  it." 

"  I  nearly  had  to  use  it  the  other  day,  Broncho,  and  I  reckon 
I  am  quiet  and  peaceable." 

"  Waal,  I  don't  altogether  know  about  that,  Hugh.  I  don't 
say  as  you  want  to  quarrel,  quite  the  contrary,  but  you  made 
up  your  mind  before  you  came  here  that  if  you  got  into  trouble 
you  were  going  to  fight,  and  you  practised  and  practised  until 
you  got  so  quick  that  you  are  sure  you  can  get  the  drop  on 
anyone  you  get  into  a  muss  with.  So  though  you  don't  want 
to  get  in  a  quarrel,  if  anyone  wants  to  quarrel  with  you  you 
are  ready  to  take  him  up.  Now  if  it  hadn't  been  so  there 


185 

wouldn't  have  been  any  shooting-irons  out  the  other  night. 
Flash  Bill  came  over  to  get  up  a  quarrel.  He  was  pretty  well 
bound  to  get  up  a  quarrel  with  some  one,  but  if  you  had  been  a 
downright  peaceable  chap  he  could  not  have  got  up  a  quarrel  with 
you.  If  you  had  said  quietly,  when  he  kinder  said  as  how  you 
hadn't  come  by  that  horse  honest,  that  Bill  here  had  been  with 
you  when  you  bought  him,  and  that  you  got  a  document  in 
your  pocket,  signed  by  a  sheriff  and  a  judge,  to  prove  that  you 
had  paid  for  it,  there  would  have  been  no  words  with  you. 
I  don't  say  as  Flash  Bill,  who  was  just  spoiling  for  a  fight, 
wouldn't  have  gone  at  somebody  else.  Likely  enough  he  would 
have  gone  at  me.  Waal,  if  I  had  been  a  quiet  and  peaceable 
chap  I  should  have  weakened  too,  and  so  it  would  have  gone 
on  until  he  got  hold  of  somebody  as  wasn't  ^cing  to  weaken  to 
no  one,  and  then  the  trouble  would  have  begun.  I  don't  say 
as  this  is  the  place  for  your  downright  peaceable  man,  but  I  say 
if  such  a  one  comes  here  he  can  manage  to  go  through  without 
mixing  himself  up  in  shooting  scrapes." 

"  But  in  that  way  a  man  like  Flash  Bill,  let  us  say,  who  is 
known  to  be  ready  to  use  his  pistol,  might  bully  a  whole  camp." 

"  Yas,  if  they  wur  all  peaceable  people ;  but  then,  you  see, 
they  ain't.  This  sort  of  life  ain't  good  for  peaceable  people. 
We  take  our  chances  pretty  well  every  day  of  getting  our  necks 
broke  one  way  or  another,  and  when  that  is  so  one  don't  think 
much  more  of  the  chance  of  being  shot  than  of  other  chances. 
Besides,  a  man  ain't  allowed  to  carry  on  too  bad.  If  he  forces 
a  fight  on  another  and  shoots  him,  shoots  him  fair,  mind  you, 
the  boys  get  together  and  say  this  can't  go  on ;  and  that  man 
is  told  to  git,  and  when  he  is  told  that  he  has  got  to,  if  he 
don't  he  knows  what  he  has  got  to  expect.  No,  sirree,  I  don't 
say  as  everything  out  in  the  plains  is  just  arranged  as  it  might 
be  in  New  York ;  but  I  say  that,  take  the  life  as  it  is,  I  don't 
see  as  it  could  be  arranged  better.  There  was  a  chap  out 
here  for  a  bit  as  had  read  up  no  end  of  books,  and  he  said  it 
was  just  the  same  sort  of  thing  way  back  in  Europe,  when 
every  man  carried  his  sword  by  his  side  and  was  always  fight- 


186          "WHO  CARES  ABOUT  THE  TROOPS ?" 

ing  duels,  till  at  last  the  kings  got  strong  enough  to  make 
laws  to  put  it  down  and  managed  things  without  it ;  and  that's 
the  way  it  will  be  in  this  country.  Once  the  iaw  is  strong 
enough  to  punish  bad  men,  and  make  it  so  that  there  ain't 
no  occasion  for  a  fellow  to  carry  about  a  six-shooter  to  pro- 
tect his  life,  then  the  six-shooter  will  go.  But  that  won't 
be  for  a  long  time  yet.  Why,  if  it  wasn't  for  us  cow-boys, 
there  wouldn't  be  no  living  in  the  border  settlements.  The 
horse-thieves  and  the  outlaws  would  just  rampage  about  as 
they  pleased,  and  who  would  follow  them  out  on  the  plains 
and  into  the  mountains  ?  But  they  know  we  won't  have  them 
out  here,  and  that  there  would  be  no  more  marcy  shown  to 
them  if  they  fell  into  our  hands  than  there  would  be  to  a 
rattler.  Then,  again,  who  is  it  keeps  the  Injuns  in  order?  Do 
you  think  it  is  Uncle  Sam's  troops?  Why,  the  Red-skins  just 
laugh  at  them.  It's  the  cow-boys." 

"  It  ain't  so  long  ago,"  Long  Tom  put  in,  "as  a  boss  com- 
missioner came  out  to  talk  with  the  natives,  and  make  them 
presents,  and  get  them  to  live  peaceful.  People  out  in  the 
east,  who  don't  know  nothing  about  Injuns,  are  always  doing 
some  foolish  thing  like  that.  The  big  chief  he  listens  to  the 
commissioner,  and  when  he  has  done  talking  to  him,  and  asks 
what  presents  he  should  like,  the  chief  said  as  the  thing  that 
would  most  tickle  him  would  be  half  a  dozen  cannons  with 
plenty  of  ammunition." 

" '  But,'  says  the  commissioner, '  we  can't  give  you  cannon  to 
fight  our  troops  with.' 

"'Troops  ! '  says  the  chief;  '  who  cares  about  the  troops  ?  We 
can  just  drive  them  whenever  we  like.  We  want  the  cannon 
to  fight  the  cow-boys.' 

"That  chief  knew  what  was  what.  It  is  the  cow-boys  as 
keep  back  the  Red-skins,  it's  the  cow-boys  as  prevent  these  plains 
getting  filled  up  with  outlaws  and  horse-thieves,  and  the  cow- 
boys can  do  it  'cause  each  man  has  got  six  lives  pretty  sartin 
at  his  belt,  and  as  many  more  as  he  has  time  to  slip  in  fresh  car- 
tridges for ;  and  because  we  don't  place  much  valley  on  our  lives, 


A  COW-BOY'S  LIFE.  187 

seeing  as  we  risk  them  every  day.  We  know  they  ain't  likely 
to  be  long  anyhow.  What  with  death  among  the  herds,  shoot- 
ing scrapes,  broken  limbs,  and  one  thing  and  another,  and  the 
work  which  wears  out  the  strongest  in  a  few  years,  a  cow-boy's 
life  is  bound  to  be  a  short  one.  You  won't  meet  one  in  ten  who 
is  over  thirty.  It  ain't  like  other  jobs.  We  don't  go  away 
and  take  up  with  another  trade.  What  should  we  be  fit  for? 
A  man  that  has  lived  on  horseback,  and  spent  his  life  galloping 
over  the  plains,  what  is  he  going  to  do  when  he  ain't  no  longer 
fit  for  this  work?  He  ain't  going  to  hoe  a  corn-patch  or  wear 
a  biled  shirt  and  work  in  a  store.  He  ain't  going  to  turn  lawyer, 
or  set  up  to  make  boots  or  breeches.  No,  sirree.  He  knows  as 
ten  years  is  about  as  much  as  he  can  reckon  on  if  his  chances 
are  good,  and  that  being  so,  he  don't  hold  nothing  particular  to 
his  life.  We  ain't  got  no  wives  and  no  children.  We  works 
hard  for  our  money,  and  when  we  gets  it  we  spend  it  mostly 
in  a  spree.  We  are  ready  to  share  it  with  any  mate  as  comes 
along  hard  up.  It  might  be  better,  and  it  might  be  worse. 
Anyway,  I  don't  see  no  chance  of  changing  it  as  long  as  there 
is  room  out  west  for  cattle  ranches.  Another  hundred  years 
and  the  grangers  will  have  got  the  land  and  the  cow-boys  will 
be  gone,  but  it  will  last  our  time  anyhow." 

Hugh  was  much  struck  with  this  estimate  of  a  cow-boy's  life 
by  one  of  themselves,  but  on  thinking  it  over  he  saw  that  it 
was  a  true  one.  These  men  were  the  adventurous  spirits  of 
the  United  States.  Had  they  been  born  in  England  they  would 
have  probably  either  enlisted  or  run  away  as  boys  and  gone 
to  sea.  They  were  men  to  whom  a  life  of  action  was  a  neces- 
sity. Their  life  resembled  rather  that  of  the  Arab  or  the  Red 
Indian  than  that  of  civilized  men.  Their  senses  had  become 
preternaturally  acute;  their  eyesight  was  wonderful.  TH* 
could  hear  the  slightest  sound,  and  pronounce  unhesitatingly 
how  it  was  caused.  There  was  not  an  ounce  of  unnecessary 
flesh  upon  them.  Their  muscles  seemed  to  have  hardened  into 
whip-cord. 

They  were  capable  of  standing  the  most  prolonged  fatigue 


188  A  RACE  APART. 

and  hardship,  and  just  as  a  wild  stag  will  run  for  a  consider- 
able distance  after  receiving  a  wound  that  would  be  instantly 
fatal  to  a  domestic  animal,  these  men  could,  as  he  had  seen  for 
himself,  and  still  more,  as  he  had  heard  many  anecdotes  to 
prove,  sustain  wounds  and  injuries  of  the  most  terrible  kind 
and  yet  survive,  seeming,  in  many  cases,  almost  insensible  to 
pain.  They  were,  in  fact,  a  race  apart,  and  had  very  many 
good  qualities  and  comparatively  few  bad  ones.  They  were, 
indeed,  as  Long  Tom  had  said,  reckless  of  their  lives,  and  they 
spent  their  earnings  in  foolish  dissipation.  But  they  knew  of 
no  better  way.  The  little  border-towns  or  Mexican  villages 
they  frequented  offered  no  other  amusements,  and  except  for 
clothes  and  ammunition  for  their  pistols  they  had  literally  no 
other  need  for  their  money. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  with  which  they  nursed 
each  other  in  illness  or  their  generosity  to  men  in  distress. 
They  were  devoted  to  the  interests  of  their  employers,  under- 
going, as  a  matter  of  course,  the  most  prolonged  and  most 
prodigious  exertions.  They  were  frank,  good-tempered,  and 
kindly  in  their  intercourse  with  each  other,  as  addicted  to 
practical  jokes  as  so  many  school-boys,  and  joining  as  heartily 
in  the  laugh  when  they  happened  to  be  the  victims  as  when 
they  were  the  perpetrators  of  the  joke.  Their  code  of  honour 
was  perhaps  a  primitive  one,  but  they  lived  up  to  it  strictly, 
and  in  spite  of  its  hardships  and  its  dangers  there  was  an  irre- 
sistible fascination  in  the  wild  life  that  they  led. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A   FIRE   ON  THE  PLAINS. 

A  FTER  the  hard  work  at  the  round-up  the  journey  north 
<**•  seemed  almost  a  holiday.  Of  an  evening  the  cook's 
accordion  was  again  brought  out,  and  the  men  sang  and,  to 
Hugh's  amusement,  danced.  He  thought  the  proposal  was  a 
joke  when  it  was  first  made,  but  he  soon  saw  that  it  was  quite 
serious.  He  had  declined  to  take  part  in  it,  saying  that  he  had 
never  danced  since  he  was  a  little  boy ;  but  it  was  as  much  as 
he  could  do  to  restrain  his  laughter,  upon  seeing  the  gravity 
with  which  eight  of  the  cow-boys  went  through  a  quadrille  to 
the  music  of  the  accordion.  Then  followed  waltzes,  and  then 
some  Mexican  dances,  the  entertainment  being  kept  up  for  a 
couple  of  hours. 

Dancing,  indeed,  is  one  of  the  favourite  amusements  of  cow- 
boys, and  there  being  no  females  to  dance  with  they  dance 
with  each  other,  and  are  so  accustomed  to  do  so  that  it  comes 
to  them  as  naturally  as  if  dancing  with  women.  When,  how- 
ever, they  are  camped  within  thirty  or  forty  miles  of  a  Mexican 
village,  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  a  party  of  half  a  dozen  to 
ride  over  to  it.  Perhaps  one  has  preceded  them  to  make  the 
arrangements.  These  are  simple.  The  Mexicans  are  very 
musical,  and  there  is  not  a  village  where  men  capable  of  play- 
ing upon  the  mandoline,  and  perhaps  other  instruments,  cannot 
be  found.  An  arrangement  is  made  with  these  and  with  the 
landlord  of  the  little  inn. 

The  preparations  are  not  expensive — spirits  for  the  men  and  a 
supply  of  cakes  and  syrups  for  the  women.  The  news  spreads 


190  A   COW-BOY   DANCE. 

like  lightning,  and  in  the  evening  Mexican  villagers,  male  and 
female,  in  their  best  attire,  from  miles  round  arrive,  some  in 
carts  and  some  on  horseback.  The  music  strikes  up,  and  the 
dance  is  kept  up  until  morning.  Occasionally  these  entertain- 
ments end  with  a  fray,  arising  generally  from  the  jealousy  of 
some  young  Mexican  at  the  complacency  with  which  his  sweet- 
heart receives  the  attentions  of  a  cow-boy  admirer.  But  these 
are  quite  the  exceptions.  The  Mexicans  know  that  their  hosts 
will  be  off  in  the  morning,  and  that  they  shall  probably  never 
see  them  again,  and  they  therefore  put  up  philosophically  with 
the  temporary  inconstancy  of  the  damsels  of  their  village. 

To  the  Mexican  girls,  indeed,  these  cow-boys  are  veritable 
heroes.  They  have  heard  endless  tales  of  their  courage.  They 
know  that  the  Indians,  who  hold  their  countrymen  in  absolute 
contempt,  fear  to  meet  these  terrible  herdsmen.  The  careless 
way  in  which  they  spend  their  money,  their  readiness  to  bestow 
their  gorgeous  silk  handkerchiefs,  their  really  handsome  and 
valuable  sashes,  or  the  gold  cord  of  their  hats,  upon  their 
favourite  partner  for  the  evening,  fills  them  with  admiration. 
They  know,  too,  that  when,  as  occasionally  happens,  a  cow-boy 
does  marry  a  Mexican  girl,  and  settles  down  upon  some  little 
ranche  among  them,  the  lot  of  his  wife  is  greatly  easier  than 
that  of  those  who  marry  Mexicans,  and  that  she  will  be  treated 
with  an  amount  of  consideration  and  courtesy  undreamt  of  by 
the  Mexican  peasant,  who,  although  an  humble  adorer  before 
marriage,  is  a  despotic  master  afterwards.  It  is  not  surprising, 
then,  that  upon  occasions  like  these  the  cow-boy  hosts  have  a 
monopoly  of  the  prettiest  girls  at  the  ball. 

Round  the  camp  fires  in  the  evening  Hugh  heard  many  tales 
of  such  evenings  spent  in  the  villages  of  New  Mexico. 

"  I  had  a  very  narrow  escape  once,"  a  cow-boy  known  as 
Straight  Charley  said.  "  There  were  six  of  us  went  up  together 
to  a  Mexican  village,  and  we  gave  a  first-rate  hop.  There  was 
a  big  crowd  there,  and  things  went  on  well  until  there  was  a 
muss  between  one  of  our  fellows  and  a  Mexican.  Jake  was 
rather  a  hard  man,  and  we  hadn't  much  fancied  his  being  of  our 


A   BORDER   FIGHT.  191 

party,  for  he  was  fonder  of  drink  than  of  dancing,  and  was 
quarrelsome  when  the  drink  was  in  him.  I  don't  know  how 
the  muss  began,  for  I  was  dancing  with  as  pretty  a  little 
Mexican  girl  as  I  ever  came  across.  However,  I  haven't  any 
doubt  as  Jake  was  in  the  wrong.  The  first  I  knowed  about  it 
was  that  the  music  stopped,  and  then  I  heard  loud  voices.  I 
saw  a  knife  flash,  and  dropped  my  partner,  and  was  going  to 
run  in  to  stop  it,  but  I  hadn't  more  than  thought  about  it  when 
there  was  the  crack  of  a  pistol.  Then  knives  were  out  all  round, 
and  there  was  a  pretty  lively  fight. 

"  It  seemed,  as  I  heard  afterwards,  that  when  Jake  shot  the 
Mexican — and  I  don't  say  he  had  no  right  to  do  so  when  the 
Mexican  had  drawn  his  knife  first,  for  if  he  had  not  shot  he 
would  have  been  killed  himself — two  or  three  other  Mexicans 
went  for  him,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  two  of  our  fellows  went 
for  the  Mexicans.  If  they  hadn't  been  all  mixed  up  together 
the  six  of  us  could  have  cleared  the  hull  lot  out,  but  mixed  up 
like  that,  and  with  girls  about,  our  fellows  hadn't  much  show. 
I  was  just  breaking  through  to  take  a  hand  in  the  game,  when  a 
fellow  who  had  been  looking  pretty  sour  at  me  for  some  time, 
jumped  on  my  back  like  a  wild  cat,  so  down  I  went,  and  in 
half  a  minute  my  legs  and  arms  were  tied  tight  with  their 
sashes.  I  didn't  try  to  struggle  after  I  had  fallen,  for  I  knew 
well  enough  that  our  fellows  had  got  the  worst  of  it. 

"  When  matters  cleared  up  a  bit  I  found  that  four  Mexicans 
had  been  killed,  and  five  or  six  others  pretty  badly  hurt. 
Jake  and  another  of  our  boys  were  dead;  two  others  had 
broke  out,  run  to  their  horses,  and  ridden  away.  Another 
of  the  boys  had  been  taken  prisoner,  but  he  had  got  two  or 
three  knife-cuts  before  he  was  knocked  down.  There  was  a 
big  hubbub  for  some  time,  as  you  may  guess,  and  then  they 
told  us  we  should  be  taken  to  the  town  in  the  morning.  Well, 
they  took  off  the  sashes,  and  marched  us  away  to  a  house  at  the 
end  of  the  village.  It  was  a  plank  house,  and  built  in  the 
same  fashion  as  their  adobe  huts,  with  one  room  behind  the 
ether.  Of  course  they  had  taken  our  six-shooters  and  knives 


192 

away  from  us,  and  they  shoved  us  into  the  inner  room,  ana 
then  a  dozen  of  them  sat  down  to  play  cards  and  keep  watch 
in  the  other. 

"  The  place  had  been  built  as  a  sort  of  lock-up,  and  there 
were  heavy  bars  to  the  window,  just  as  you  see  in  a  good  many 
Mexican  houses.  They  had  left  our  legs  free,  but  had  put 
some  ropes  round  our  arms ;  but  we  knew  that  we  could  shift 
them  easy  enough.  The  Mexicans  had  shut  the  door  between 
the  two  rooms,  but  we  could  hear  their  talk  through  it,  and 
we  heard  that,  though  the  thing  had  been  brought  on  by 
Jake,  there  would  have  been  a  muss  anyhow  sooner  or  later. 
Two  white  men  had  come  into  the  village  a  fortnight  before ; 
they  were  dressed  like  cow-boys,  but  I  reckon  they  were  horse- 
stealers  or  outlaws,  anyhow  they  had  kicked  up  a  row  and  shot 
three  men,  and  rode  away,  and  the  Mexicans  had  seemed  to 
make  up  their  minds  that  they  would  take  revenge  on  the  next 
party  that  came  in,  whoever  they  were. 

"  Well,  things  looked  pretty  bad  for  us.  If  we  had  once 
got  inside  one  of  their  prisons,  the  Mexican  judges  would  have 
made  short  work  of  us.  The  greasers  would,  of  course, 
have  sworn  that  we  had  begun  the  row,  and  shot  down  four 
or  five  of  their  people  without  the  least  cause,  and  it  would 
have  been  a  case  of  hanging,  as  sure  as  a  gun ;  so  Dave  and  I 
agreed  that  we  had  got  to  git  somehow.  It  wur  no  use  talk- 
ing of  fighting,  for  there  was  a  dozen  fellows  in  the  next 
room,  and  they  had  all  got  their  guns  along  with  them.  We 
hadn't  got  our  knives,  and  there  was  no  chance  of  cutting  our 
way  out.  We  were  talking  it  over  when  someone  said,  '  Are 
you  there,  Charley  ? '  at  the  window.  It  was  one  of  the  boys 
who  had  got  away.  You  bet  I  was  there  pretty  sharp. 

"'Here  I  am,  Ginger,'  I  said.  'How  goes  it?'  'Pretty 
bad,'  he  said ;  '  Jeffries  is  cut  pretty  near  to  pieces,  and  I  am 
wounded  in  half-a-dozen  places,  and  can  scarce  crawl.  Jeffries 
is  with  the  horses  a  mile  away.  He  is  too  bad  to  stand.  I 
made  a  shift  to  crawl  back  to  see  what  had  become  of  you.  I 
have  been  creeping  round,  and  heard  the  two  of  you  were  shut 


"  rr  is  HARD  LUCK  ON  us."  193 

up  nere,  and  that  you  was  going  to  be  taken  off  to-morrow, 
and  would  be  hung,  sure,  so  I  came  round  to  see  what  could  be 
done;  here  is  my  six-shooter  if  it  will  be  any  good  to  you.' 
*  No,  that  won't  be  any  good,'  I  said ;  '  there  are  twelve  of 
them,  and  they  have  all  got  guns;  but  give  me  your  knife; 
these  planks  are  pretty  thick,  but  we  can  cut  our  way  through.' 
'  I  haven't  got  it,'  says  Ginger ;  '  it  was  knocked  out  of  my  belt 
in  the  fight,  and,  worse  luck,  Jeffries  has  lost  his  too.  A  fellow 
got  hold  of  his  wrist,  so  he  couldn't  use  his  pistol,  and  he  drew 
his  knife,  and  he  was  righting  with  it,  when  he  got  a  slice 
across  his  fingers  which  pretty  nigh  cut  them  off,  and  he 
dropped  his  knife,  and,  as  luck  would  have  it,  just  wrenched 
himself  free  and  bolted.' 

"  '  Well,  we  must  do  what  we  can,'  I  said ;  '  but  it  is  hard  luck 
on  us.  Look  here,  Ginger,  you  bring  the  two  horses  up  to  that 
clump  of  trees  over  there  ;  Dave  is  pretty  badly  cut  about,  and 
cannot  run  far,  but  he  can  make  a  shift  to  get  over  there.  If 
we  don't  come  by  an  hour  before  daylight  it  ain't  no  use  your 
waiting  no  longer;  you  go  and  pick  up  Jeffries,  and  make 
tracks  ;  but  I  reckon  that  somehow  we  shall  mariage  to  come.' 
'  All  right ! '  says  he,  and  went.  '  Now,  Dave,'  I  said,  '  you 
turn  over  and  let  me  get  my  teeth  at  your  knots,  it  is  hard  if 
I  don't  manage  to  undo  them.' 

"  Sure  enough,  in  five  minutes  I  had  loosed  a  knot,  and  then 
the  rest  was  easy.  Dave  untied  me,  and  we  were  free  so  far. 
1  What  next?  '  says  Dave.  ( We  will  have  a  look  round,'  says 
I.  Luckily  there  was  a  moon,  and  there  was  plenty  of  light  to 
see  what  was  in  the  room.  There  was  some  bits  of  furniture 
and  bedding,  just  as  they  had  been  left  by  the  people  they 
had  turned  out  to  make  room  for  us,  but  nothing  that  I 
could  find  as  would  help  us  to  cut  our  way  out.  '  Now,  Dave,' 
says  I,  'you  get  to  that  corner  and  I  will  get  to  this,  and 
just  shove  against  the  planks,  and  see  if  we  can't  push  the 
hull  side  of  this  shanty  out.'  Well,  it  wur  too  strong  for  us. 
It  was  made  of  rough  boards,  pretty  strongly  nailed.  I  thought 
it  gave  a  little,  but  nothing  as  would  be  any  good.  '  If  we  could 


194  BURNING  A  WAY   OUT. 

throw  ourselves  against  it  both  together  it  might  go/  I  said  5 
'  but  it  mightn't,  and  if  it  didn't  we  should  have  them  inside 
in  a  moment,  and  there  would,  be  an  end  to  it.  What  do  you 
say  to  our  burning  ourselves  out,  Dave  ?  ' 

" '  How  are  we  to  do  that,  Charley? '  he  said.  '  Well,  I  have 
got  my  box  of  matches  in  my  boot,  and  I  suppose  you  have 
yours  too.  Let  us  pile  up  some  of  these  wooden  things  against 
the  two  corners  ;  there  is  plenty  of  straw  in  this  bed.  Before  we 
begin  we  will  hang  one  of  these  blankets  over  the  doorway  so 
as  to  keep  the  smoke  from  going  through  the  cracks.  I  reckon 
they  are  all  smoking  in  there,  and  they  won't  smell  it  very 
quick.'  So  we  made  a  pile,  moving  as  quiet  as  we  could, 
standing  still  when  they  were  not  talking  much  in  the  next 
room,  and  moving  whenever  they  made  a  row,  which  was  pretty 
often.  '  These  things  are  as  dry  as  chips,'  I  said,  '  and  what 
smoke  there  is  will  mostly  go  out  through  the  window,  but 
I  expect  there  will  be  more  than  we  shall  like.  Here  is 
a  big  pitcher  of  water,  we  will  soak  these  two  blankets,  and 
then  lie  down  close  to  the  floor ;  you  cover  your  head  over  with 
one,  and  I  will  do  it  with  the  other.  Now,  then  ! ' 

"  We  lit  a  couple  of  matches  and  touched  off  the  straw,  and 
in  half  a  minute  there  was  a  blaze  up  to  the  roof.  Then  we 
lay  down  by  the  other  wall  one  on  each  side  of  the  door,  and 
waited.  In  about  two  minutes  there  was  a  shout  in  the  next 
room  and  a  rush,  then  the  door  was  flung  open  and  the  blanket 
torn  down,  and  such  a  yelling  and  cussing  as  you  never  heard. 
The  smoke  was  pretty  bad  where  we  was  lying,  and  I  reckon 
that  up  higher  it  was  as  thick  as  a  wall.  l  The  cursed  Ameri- 
cans have  lighted  the  house  and  smothered  themselves,'  one  of 
them  shouted.  Then  they  rushed  out,  coughing  and  choking, 
and  we  heard  them  shouting  for  water,  and  there  wur  as  much 
row  as  if  the  village  had  been  attacked  by  Injuns. 

"  We  waited  another  three  or  four  minutes,  and  then  Dave 
shouted, '  I  can't  stand  this  no  longer.'  I  had  hoped  they  would 
have  left  the  outer  door  open,  and  that  we  could  have  got  out 
that  way,  but  we  had  heard  it  shut.  I  expect  someone  more 


"A  couple  of  kicks  sent  out  the  planks,  and  then  we  bolted." 


195 

cute  than  the  rest  suspected  we  wur  inside  biding  our  time. 
1  Take  a  long  breath,  Dave,'  says  I,  '  and  don't  breathe  again 
until  you  are  out;  now  jump  up  and  join  me.'  We  joined 
hands  and  made  a  run,  and  threw  ourselves  against  one  corner 
of  the  end  of  the  hut.  Several  of  the  planks  fell,  and  a  couple 
of  kicks  sent  the  rest  out,  then  off  we  bolted. 

"  There  wur  a  yell  outside,  for  by  this  time  half  the  village 
were  there.  Luckily  the  men  with  guns  was  mostly  round 
by  the  door,  and  when  the  yells  fetched  them  there  was  too 
many  women  and  children  about  for  them  to  shoot.  We  went 
straight  on,  as  you  may  guess,  and  we  were  half-way  to  the 
woods  before  the  shooting  began,  and  it  wur  pretty  wild  at 
that.  Dave  gave  out  afore  he  got  to  the  trees,  and  I  had  to 
carry  him. 

" '  This  way,'  Ginger  shouted.  I  lifted  Dave  on  to  a  horse, 
and  jumped  up  behind  him,  and  we  wur  off  just  as  the  Mexicans 
came  running  up.  After  that  it  wur  easy  enough.  We  rode 
to  where  Jeffries  had  been  left,  got  him  on  to  Ginger's  horse, 
and  made  tracks  for  the  camp.  Jeffries  died  next  day,  but 
Dave  got  over  it.  That  wur  a  pretty  near  touch,  I  reckon." 

" It  was  indeed,"  Hugh  said.  "That  was  a  very  lucky  idea 
of  yours  of  burning  out  the  corners  of  the  house." 

"  Some  of  them  Mexicans  is  cusses,"  another  cow-boy  put  in. 
"  I  had  a  smart  affair  with  them  in  one  of  their  villages  last 
year.  I  had  rid  in  with  Baltimore  Rube.  We  had  been 
searching  some  of  the  gullies  for  cows,  and  had  run  short  of 
sugar  and  tea.  Waal,  I  was  on  a  young  broncho  I  had  only 
roped  two  days  before,  and  the  critter  wur  as  wild  as  could 
be.  When  we  rode  in,  a  lot  of  them  brutes  of  dogs  that 
swarms  almost  as  thick  as  their  fleas  in  all  these  Mexican  vil- 
lages, came  barking  round,  while  one  big  brute  in  particular 
made  as  if  he  would  pin  my  broncho  by  the  nose,  and  the 
pony  plunged  and  kicked  till  I  thought  he  would  have  me  off. 
There  was  a  lot  of  their  men  standing  at  their  doors  smoking, 
for  it  wur  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  they  wur  all  back  from 
what  they  called  work.  I  shouted  to  them  to  call  their  dogs 


196  "A  TALL  PIECE   OF   LYING." 

off,  but  they  just  laughed  and  jeered,  so  I  did  the  only  thing 
as  there  was  to  do,  just  pulled  out  my  six-shooter  and  shot 
<ihe  dog.  Waal,  if  it  had  been  a  man  there  could  not  have 
6een  a  worse  sort  of  row.  The  Mexicans  ran  into  their  houses 
just  as  quick  as  a  lot  of  prairie-dogs  when  they  scent  danger, 
and  in  a  moment  were  back  with  their  guns,  and  began  to 
blaze  away.  Waal,  naturally,  our  dander  riz,  a  bullet  chipped 
the  bark  off  my  cheek,  and  by  the  way  my  broncho  jumped 
I  knew  one  had  hit  him,  so  Baltimore  and  I  blazed  away 
in  return,  and  neither  of  us  didn't  shoot  to  miss,  you  bet.  WTe 
just  emptied  our  six-shooters,  and  then  rode  for  it. 

"  Baltimore  got  a  shot  in  his  shoulder.  I  had  one  in  the 
leg,  and  there  was  two  in  the  saddle.  We  talked  it  over 
and  agreed  it  wur  best  to  say  nothing  about  it.  Them  Mexi- 
cans will  swear  black  is  white,  and  when  there  is  a  whole  vil- 
lage swearing  one  way,  and  only  two  men  swearing  the  other 
way,  them  two  has  got  but  a  poor  show  of  being  believed. 
So  we  concluded  to  leave  those  parts  altogether,  and  we  rode 
a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  the  next  two  days,  and  then 
*«amped  for  a  week  till  our  wounds  healed  up  a  bit. 

"  A  fortnight  after  that  we  went  into  the  station,  and  there 
I  happened  to  light  upon  one  of  them  rags  the  Mexicans  calls 
papers,  and  there  sure  enough  was  the  account  of  that  business. 
'  Two  cow-boys,  unknown,  rode  last  week  into  the  quiet  village 
of  Puserey,  and  without  the  slightest  provocation  commenced 
a  murderous  attack  upon  its  inhabitants,  and  after  killing  four 
and  wounding  eight  men,  they  galloped  off  before  the  inhabitants 
had  time  to  betake  themselves  to  their  arms  to  defend  them- 
selves. A  reward  of  five  hundred  dollars  is  offered  for  their 
apprehension.'  Now,  that  wur  a  pretty  tall  piece  of  lying; 
but  Baltimore  and  I  agreed  it  wur  best  to  keep  dark  about  it 
altogether,  for  if  it  wur  talked  about,  it  might  get  to  the  ears 
of  some  of  the  half-caste  Mexicans  about  the  station,  and  some 
day  or  other,  when  we  went  into  a  village,  we  might  find  our- 
selves roped  in." 

"That  is  the  way,"  Broncho  Harry  said  indignantly,  "us 


AN  UNJUST   REPUTATION.  197 

cow-boys  get  a  bad  name.  Now,  I  dare  say  that  air  article 
wur  copied  in  half  the  newspapers  in  the  States,  and  folks  as 
know  nothing  about  it  would  say,  'Them  cow-boys  is  a  cuss; 
they  ought  to  be  wiped  off  the  arth  right  away.'  It  is  always 
so  whenever  there  is  a  row  between  any  of  us  and  the  Mexicans. 
They  give  thar  account  of  it,  and  we  goes  away  and  thinks 
no  more  about  it  one  way  or  the  other,  and  there  is  no  one  to 
show  it  up  as  a  lie  from  beginning  to  end  ;  and  I  know  there's 
people  think  we  are  as  bad  as  the  Injuns,  if  not  worse,  and 
that  we  ride  about  shooting  down  people  just  for  amusement. 
Then  all  these  outlaws  and  horse-thieves  and  bad  men  near 
the  settlements  dress  as  much  as  they  can  like  us,  and  every 
murder  as  they  commits,  every  horse  that  gits  stolen,  every 
man  that  gits  held  up  and  robbed,  it  is  just  put  down  to  the 
cow-boys.  While  if  the  truth  wur  known,  for  every  one  of 
these  fellows  caught  or  wiped  out  by  the  sheriff  and  their 
posse,  there  is  twenty  gets  wiped  out  by  us." 

There  was  a  cordial  "  That  is  so,  Broncho,"  all  round  the  fire, 
for  the  injustice  connected  with  their  reputation  was  a  very 
sore  point  among  the  cow-boys. 

"  Well,  some  day,  Broncho,"  Hugh  said,  "  when  I  get  away 
from  here,  for,  as  you  know,  I  haven't  come  here  to  stay,  I 
will  take  pen  in  hand  and  try  to  give  a  true  account  of  you 
and  your  doings,  so  that  people  may  see  that  there  are  two 
sides  to  the  question." 

"  Bully  for  you,  Hugh  !  "  Long  Tom  said ;  "just  you  put  it  in 
hot  and  strong.  I  tell  you  it  ain't  nice  if  one  does  go  down  to 
the  settlements  in  the  winter,  when  work  is  slack,  to  see  people 
look  at  you  as  if  you  wur  a  wild  beast,  who  is  only  waiting  his 
chance  to  hold  up  the  hull  town.  Why,  I  have  seen  women  pull 
their  children  indoors  as  I  came  along,  as  if  I  wur  a  mountain 
lion,  and  was  meaning  to  draw  my  six-shooter  on  them  just 
for  amusement." 

"  Well,"  Hugh  said,  "  I  must  say  I  heard  stories  at  M'Kinney 
of  cow-boys  coming  down  to  a  town  and  riding  about  shooting 
off  the  hats  of  the  inhabitants,  making  targets  of  the  bottles 


198 

in  the  saloons,  and  generally  turning  the  place  topsy-turvy. 
Of  course  I  didn't  believe  it  all." 

There  was  silence  round  the  fire,  and  then  Straight  Charley 
said : 

"Well,  Lightning,  I  won't  say  as  you  have  been  altogether 
deceived  as  to  that,  and  I  won't  deny  as  I  have  taken  part  in 
sprees  myself,  but  you  see  it  don't  hurt  no  one.  It  is  just  fun. 
If  we  do  shoot  the  heads  off  the  bottles,  we  pays  for  them, 
and  it  makes  one  laugh  till  one  can  scarcely  sit  in  a  saddle 
to  see  an  old  cuss  jump  when  you  put  a  bullet  through  his 
stove-pipe  hat.  It  is  his  fault  for  wearing  such  a  thing,  which 
is  an  unnatural  invention  altogether  and  should  be  discouraged." 

"  We  do  carry  on,"  Broncho  Harry  agreed,  "  thar  ain't  no 
denying  it.  When  a  man  has  been  out  in  these  plains  for  six 
months  working  worse  than  a  nigger,  and  that  without  a  drop 
of  liquor,  it  is  natural  as  he  should  go  in  for  a  high  old  time 
when  he  gits  down  to  a  town  with  money  in  his  pockets ;  but 
thar  ain't  no  real  harm  in  it.  We  know  how  we  can  shoot,  and 
that  if  we  fire  at  a  hat  there  ain't  no  chance  of  our  hitting  the 
head  inside.  It  just  makes  things  lively  for  them  for  a  bit, 
and  there  is  never  no  trouble,  unless  anyone  is  fool  enough  to 
take  the  matter  up  and  make  a  muss  about  it." 

"  I  am  not  saying  you  do  any  real  harm,  Broncho,  only  you 
see  the  people  in  the  towns  don't  know  how  well  you  shoot. 
If  you  knock  a  pipe  out  of  my  mouth,  as  you  have  done  once 
or  twice,  I  only  laugh,  because  I  know  there  was  no  chance  in 
the  world  of  your  hitting  me  ;  but  you  see  they  don't  all  know 
that.  And  so  when  a  man  finds  there  are  two  holes  in  his  hat 
an  inch  above  his  head,  he  thinks  he  has  had  a  marvellous 
escape  of  being  murdered." 

"  I  don't  deny  as  there  is  something  in  that,"  Broncho  Harry 
said  reflectively ;  "  but  you  see  it  is  in  their  ignorance  that  the 
mistake  comes  in,  not  in  our  shooting.  Anyhow,  you  see  we 
have  got  to  do  something  to  amuse  ourselves,  and  we  might  do 
worse  than  just  skeer  a  few  store-men,  who  take  it  out  of  us  by 
charging  us  about  double  the  price  they  charge  anyone  else." 


COWS   AND   CALVES.  199 

Hugh  was  not  convinced  by  the  argument,  but  he  felt  that 
it  was  of  no  use  to  pursue  the  subject  further. 

"  How  do  the  cows  know  their  calves?  "  he  asked  one  day,  as 
at  the  end  of  a  march  some  of  the  cows  were  loudly  lowing  for 
their  offspring  to  come  to  them. 

"  By  smell,"  Broncho  Harry  replied  promptly. 

"  You  don't  see  much  of  their  ways  here,  for  the  calves  are 
pretty  well  grown  up ;  but  when  you  are  driving  a  herd,  as  I 
have  done  many  a  time,  made  up  altogether  of  cows  and  young 
calves,  you  see  a  lot  of  it.  Ten  or  twelve  miles  a  day  is  as 
much  as  you  can  do  with  a  herd  of  that  sort.  What  steers 
there  are  always  go  ahead,  grazing  as  they  go.  The  cows  will 
come  straggling  along  next,  and  then  the  calves  strung  out  all 
over  the  place,  and  the  rear-guard  have  pretty  hard  work  to 
hurry  them  up.  You  see  calves  have  got  no  sense,  and  run 
anywhere — under  your  horse's  legs  or  anywhere  else  ;  while  the 
cows  don't  pay  much  attention  to  them  till  they  get  to  the 
end  of  the  march.  Then  they  begin  to  bawl  for  their  calves  to 
come  to  them,  and  the  calves  begin  to  bawl  for  their  mothers, 
and  I  tell  you  that  for  a  bit  there  is  such  a  row  going  on  that 
you  would  think  the  end  of  the  world  had  come.  Two  thousand 
cows  and  as  many  calves  can  kick  up  a  row,  you  bet,  that  will 
well-nigh  scare  you." 

"  But  don't  the  calves  know  their  mothers'  voices  ?  " 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it ;  it  is  just  smell  and  nothing  else  that  brings 
them  together.  You  would  think  the  cows  would  know  some- 
thing about  the  colour  of  their  young  uns,  but  they  don't.  I 
have  seen  a  cow  that  I  knew  had  a  white  calf  run  up  to  a  black 
calf  and  smell  it,  then  to  a  brown  one,  and  then  to  a  spotted 
one,  while  her  own  white  calf  stood  bawling  fit  to  kill  herself 
a  dozen  yards  away.  It  is  wonderful  how  they  do  find  each 
other  at  all,  and  the  job  often  takes  them  two  or  three  hours. 
Some  of  the  cows  concludes  at  last  that  their  calves  have  been 
left  behind,  and  then  off  they  set,  and  would  go  all  the  way  back 
to  the  place  they  had  started  from  in  the  morning  if  you  didn't 
stop  them.  Sometimes  they  don't  find  them  at  all  that  night." 


200  "A   FIRE  UP  NORTH." 

"But  what  happens  to  the  calves  then?" 

"The  calves  shift  for  themselves.  They  run  up  to  other 
cows  which  have  got  their  own  calves  sucking.  Each  cow  will 
generally  let  them  have  a  suck  or  two,  and  then  drive  them  off, 
and  in  that  way  they  get  enough  to  last  them  on  till  they 
find  their  mothers  in  the  morning. 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in  keeping  night-watch  over 
a  herd  like  that.  It  isn't  that  there  is  any  risk  of  a  stampede. 
A  cow  herd  will  never  stampede  if  there  are  a  lot  of  young  calves 
in  it ;  but  they  don't  settle  themselves  comfortable  to  sleep.  The 
calves  want  to  wander  about,  and  the  cows  who  haven't  found 
their  young  ones  keep  trying  to  slip  off  to  take  the  back  track, 
and  you  have  got  to  be  always  on  the  watch  for  them.  Take  it 
altogether,  I  would  rather  drive  a  beef  herd  than  a  cow  herd." 

After  a  week's  travel  they  reached  the  spot  that  had  been 
fixed  upon  for  the  herd  to  graze.  The  cow-boys'  work  was  now 
much  lighter.  Parties  of  twos  and  threes  could  often  be  spared 
for  a  day's  excursion  up  to  some  Mexican  village  among  the 
hills,  or  they  would  go  off  for  three  or  four  days'  hunt  among 
the  valleys  to  pick  up  any  cattle  that  had  evaded  search  during 
the  round-up.  One  day,  when  there  were  but  four  of  them  in 
camp,  two  of  the  party  who  had  been  absent  a  couple  of  days 
rode  in  at  full  speed,  and  reported  to  the  head  of  the  outfit 
that  they  had  seen  the  light  of  a  fire  up  north. 

"Then  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,"  Colley  said.  "  Will  you 
two  men  stop  here  and  look  after  things  ?  I  will  ride  off  with 
the  other  four  and  fight  the  fire.  When  the  others  come  back 
do  you  start  out  after  us.  The  last  two  who  come  in  must 
stop  here.  Give  us  what  food  you  have  got,  darkey ;  we  may 
be  away  four  or  five  days.  Directly  we  have  gone  set  to  and 
cook  something  for  the  others." 

Hugh  and  Bill  Royce  had  returned  the  day  before  from  an 
expedition  among  the  foot-hills.  Broncho  Harry  and  another 
cow-boy  were  also  in  camp.  In  five  minutes  the  horses  were 
saddled,  and  they  dashed  off  at  full  speed. 

"  It  is  lucky  that  the  wind  is  not  blowing  strong,"  Colley 


A   FIRE   ON   THE   PLAINS.  201 

said,  "  or  we  should  have  the  fire  down  here  before  we  got  news 
of  it,  and  there  is  no  place  handy  where  we  could  drive  the 
herd.  I  expects  those  blessed  Injuns  lit  the  fire." 

Hugh  was  very  pleased  that  he  was  in  camp  when  the  news 
came.  He  had  heard  many  stories  from  the  cow-boys  of  these 
terrible  fires,  and  knew  that  at  times  they  had  wrought  havoc 
among  the  herds,  whose  only  hope  of  escape  lay  in  reaching  a 
stream  wide  enough  to  check  the  progress  of  the  flames. 

After  riding  twenty  miles  they  could  distinguish  a  faint  odour 
of  smoke  in  the  air,  and  as  they  gained  a  crest  soon  after  sun- 
set could  see  a  long  line  of  light  in  the  distance. 

"  It  is  a  big  un,"  Broncho  Harry  said,  "  and  no  mistake." 

They  lost  no  time  in  getting  to  work,  for  the  wind  was  ris- 
ing, and  there  was  but  little  time  to  spare.  They  had  on  their 
way  picked  out  a  steer  from  a  bunch  they  came  upon,  and  had 
driven  it  before  them,  and  had  also  stopped  and  cut  faggots 
of  wood  from  a  clump  of  bushes  in  a  hollow.  A  shot  from 
Broncho  Harry's  revolver  brought  the  bullock  dead  to  the 
ground,  and  while  Royce  lit  a  fire  the  others  with  their  long 
knives  proceeded  to  spilt  the  bullock  into  two  portions,  dividing 
it  from  its  head  down  to  its  tail. 

"  Now,  Broncho,  will  you  go  east  with  Lightning  while  Royce 
and  Jake  go  west  ?  Keep  on  until  you  meet  some  fellows  from 
the  other  outfits.  They  are  sure  to  be  at  work  all  along  the 
line.  If  you  don't  meet  any  by  the  time  you  get  to  the  end  of 
the  flames,  then  work  back  and  fight  the  fire  as  you  come.  I 
expect  the  other  four  man  will  be  up  in  an  hour  or  two." 

Broncho  Harry  and  Royce  at  once  lit  two  of  the  long  faggots, 
and  fastened  the  others  to  their  saddles.  They  then  tied  the 
ends  of  their  ropes  to  the  blazing  faggots  and  started.  Hugh 
having  been  already  instructed  in  his  part,  fastened  his  Tope  to 
a  leg  of  the  half  bullock,  and  mounted  his  horse — he  had  not 
brought  Prince  this  time,  as  he  feared  that  he  might  get  burned. 
He  waited  until  Broncho  Harry  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead. 
Already  a  line  of  fire  was  rising  in  his  track,  the  dried  grass 
«atching  like  tinder  as  the  blazing  faggot  passed  over  it.  It 


202  A   FIRE   EXTINGUISHER. 

had  already  run  along  a  width  of  twenty  feet  or  so,  burning 
fiercely  on  the  leeward  side,  and  making  its  way  in  a  thin  red 
line  to  windward.  It  was  the  leeward  side  that  Hugh  had  to 
attend  to,  and  galloping  his  horse  along  the  ground  over  which 
the  flame  had  just  passed,  he  dragged  the  half  carcass  of  the 
bullock  behind  him,  so  that  in  its  course  it  passed  over  the  line 
of  flame,  which  its  weight  and  the  raw  under-surface  instantly 
crushed  out.  For  ten  miles  he  rode  on,  and  then  found  that 
Harry  had  stopped. 

"  We  are  beyond  the  edge  of  the  fire,"  the  latter  said.  "  It 
is  the  other  side  where  there  is  most  danger,  unless  Smith's 
outfit  have  got  news  in  time.  Waal,  we  have  done  our  part  of 
the  job  so  far." 

Looking  back  Hugh  saw  a  sea  of  fire  approaching  across  the 
plains.  The  wind  was  blowing  stronger  now,  and  the  air  was 
full  of  smoke  and  ashes.  Far  along  the  track  they  had  come 
a  thin  line  of  fire  was  advancing  against  the  wind  to  meet  the 
great  wave  that  was  sweeping  down  towards  it. 

"We  passed  some  bushes  half  a  mile  back,"  Harry  said. 
"  We  will  ride  back  to  them,  and  then  let  the  horses  go.  We 
sha'n't  want  them  any  more,  and  they  are  pretty  well  mad  with 
fright  now." 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  bushes  they  leapt  off,  and  letting 
the  horses  go  cut  as  many  boughs  as  they  could  carry.  Then 
retiring  from  the  strip  of  burnt  ground,  already  forty  or  fifty 
yards  wide,  they  awaited  the  flames.  Their  approach  was 
heralded  by  burning  fragments,  and  they  were  both  soon  at 
work  beating  out  the  flames  as  fast  as  they  were  kindled  to 
leeward  of  the  burnt  strip.  Single-handed  they  would  not  have 
succeeded,  but  other  cow-boys  speedily  arrived,  and  along  the 
whole  line  parties  were  at  work  fighting  the  fire.  At  times  it 
got  such  hold  that  it  was  only  checked  by  lighting  fresh  fires 
to  leeward,  and  crushing  them  out  as  had  been  done  at  first, 
and  it  was  thirty  hours  before  the  fire  was  extinguished  along 
that  part  of  the  line. 

Then  the  news  came  that  further  west  it  had  burst  through, 


THE   FIRE    BEATEN.  203 

and  the  cow-boys,  mounting  fresh  horses  that  had  been 
brought  up,  rode  off  and  joined  in  the  fight  there,  and  it  was 
not  until  after  three  days'  unremitting  effort  that  the  danger 
was  finally  subdued.  During  all  this  time  the  men  had  not  a 
moment's  rest.  Their  food  and  water  had  been  sent  up  from 
the  waggons,  and  a  hasty  meal  was  snatched  occasionally. 
When  all  was  done  they  were  blackened  with  smoke  and  ashes. 
Their  hair  and  clothes  were  singed,  and  they  were  utterly  ex- 
hausted with  their  efforts.  However,  they  had  saved  the  herds, 
and  were  well  content  with  their  work ;  but,  as  soon  as  it  was 
over,  each  man  threw  himself  down  where  he  stood  and  slept 
for  many  hours,  watch  being  kept  by  some  of  the  last  arrivals, 
for  it  was  by  no  means  improbable  that  the  Indians  would 
swoop  down  to  take  advantage  of  the  confusion  and  drive  off 
cattle. 

As  soon  as  the  cow-boys  were  roused  next  morning  they  rode 
off  to  their  respective  outfits,  and  Hugh's  party  on  their  arrival 
enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  bathe  in  the  stream,  near  which  the 
waggon  of  No.  2  outfit  was  placed.  Then,  after  their  change  of 
clothes,  they  gathered  for  a  comfortable  meal. 

"  Waal,  Lightning,  that  has  been  a  fresh  experience  for  you," 
Broncho  Harry  said. 

"  I  am  glad  I  have  seen  it,"  Hugh  replied ;  "  but  I  don't 
want  to  repeat  it." 

"  This  was  nothing,  Hugh.  Four  years  ago  there  was  a  fire 
here  that  swept  right  across  the  plains;  there  was  a  strong 
wind  and  no  stopping  it,  and  there  were  over  100,000  cattle 
burned.  I  suppose  some  day  or  other  they  will  be  passing  laws 
for  putting  up  fences.  If  they  do,  I  tell  you  it  will  be  some- 
thing like  ruin  to  a  good  many  ranches,  for  it  will  prevent 
cattle  from  running  before  the  flames.  As  it  is  now,  their 
instinct  takes  them  either  to  a  stream  or  to  some  high  bluff. 
But  if  there  was  fences  they  would  never  get  away.  In  the 
north  they  lose  whole  herds  in  the  same  way  from  snow-storms. 
A  herd  will  drift  before  snow  and  wind  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
but  if  there  is  anything  that  stops  them  they  just  get  snowed 


204  AN   INDIAN   RAID. 

up  and  die.  Ranchmen  have  troubles  enough,  but  if  they  was 
obliged  to  fence  it  would  go  far  to  break  up  the  business. 

"  Look  out,  lads,  here  comes  someone  galloping  into  camp. 
I  expect  he  has  got  news  of  the  Red-skins.  I  reckoned  they 
would  be  out  on  the  track  of  the  fire. 

"  Oh,  it's  Tom  Newport,"  he  said,  as  the  man  approached. 
"  Waal,  what  he  says  you  may  take  for  gospel.  He  is  not  one 
of  them  fellows  who  gets  hold  of  the  tail-end  of  a  story  and 
then  scares  the  whole  country.  Waal,  Tom,  what  is  it?  " 

"Just  mount  up,  Broncho,  and  get  all  your  crowd  together. 
There  ain't  no  time  for  talking  now ;  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it 
when  we  get  on  the  track." 

In  an  incredibly  short  time  the  men  had  all  saddled,  and 
were  ready  for  a  start,  filling  their  water-skins,  and  getting 
from  the  cook  what  bread  and  cold  meat  remained  over  from 
breakfast.  "  Now,  which  way,  Tom  ?  " 

"  North-east.  I  will  tell  you  about  it.  The  Injuns  have  come 
down  and  attacked  Gainsford.  They  have  killed  five  or  six  men 
and  most  of  the  women  and  children.  They  have  carried  off 
five  or  six  girls,  and  old  man  Rutherford's  Rose  is  among  them." 

An  exclamation  of  fury  broke  from  several  of  the  cow-boys. 

"  Where  is  Gainsford  ?  and  who  is  Rutherford's  Rose  ?  "  Hugh 
asked. 

"  Gainsford  is  a  small  place  just  among  the  foot-hills  south 
of  the  Injun  country.  There  are  about  twenty  houses.  Ru- 
therford, he  wur  the  first  to  settle  there.  We  told  him  over 
and  over  agin  that  it  wur  too  close  to  the  Injuns,  and  that 
there  would,  sure,  be  trouble  sooner  or  later ;  but  Steve,  that 
is  Rutherford,  is  one  of  those  pesky  obstinate  cusses  who  just 
go  their  own  way,  and  won't  listen  to  reason  from  no  one. 
He  got  a  little  herd  of  cattle  up  in  the  valley  there,  and  a  patch 
of  cultivated  land,  and  he  reckoned  he  wouldn't  be  solitary 
long.  He  was  right  enough  there,  for,  as  I  told  you,  the  place 
grew,  and  there  are  pretty  nigh  twenty  houses  there  now, 
that  is,  there  wur  twenty  houses ;  I  don't  suppose  one  is  stand- 
ing now.  Rutherford,  he  war  a  cow-boy  once,  and  married 


GATHERING    A    HERD.  205 

and  settled  down  there,  and  Rose  is  his  daughter,  and  as  good 
a  lass  as  there  is  west  of  Missouri.  Rutherford's  house  is  free 
quarters  for  those  of  us  who  likes  to  drop  in.  In  course  we 
makes  it  up  to  him  by  taking  in  a  deer  or  a  bear's  ham,  or 
maybe  a  few  bottles  of  whisky,  if  we  have  been  down  to  the 
settlement  and  laid  hands  on  them,  and  if  we  come  across 
any  mavericks  when  we  are  alone,  we  just  brand  them  R.R.,  and 
I  reckon  Rosie  has  got  200  cattle  out  here,  and  they  will  come 
in  mighty  handy  for  her  when  she  chooses  a  husband." 

"  Is  that  often  done  ?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  You  bet.  There  are  a  score  and  more  girls,  whose  fathers' 
shanties  lie  up  in  the  foot-hills,  and  who  are  friends  of  ours, 
have  got  a  nice  little  clump  of  cattle  out  on  these  plains.  Of 
course  any  man,  living  near  the  plains,  can  turn  his  cattle  out, 
and  there  are  dozens  of  private  marks.  Waal,  you  see,  if  a  girl 
only  gets  twenty  branded  for  her  it  increases  every  year, 
because  the  calves  running  with  the  cows  get  the  same  brand 
put  on  them ;  and  I  have  known  many  a  girl  when  she  was 
married  have  a  little  herd  of  three  or  four  hundred.  So,  I 
tell  you,  it  hits  us  all  that  Rose  Rutherford  has  been  carried 
away,  and  we  are  bound  to  get  her  back  if  it  air  to  be  done. 
When  was  it,  Tom,  that  it  happened?  " 

"  Yesterday  evening,  'bout  ten  o'clock,  I  wur  riding  that  way 
and  intended  to  sleep  at  Steve's,  when  I  saw  a  light  burst  up, 
and  then  two  or  three  others.  I  galloped  pretty  hard,  you 
may  guess,  but  before  I  got  thar  it  wur  over  and  the  Injuns 
had  gone  ;  but  I  larned  from  a  boy  who  had  been  hiding  among 
the  bushes,  but  who  came  out  when  he  saw  me,  how  it  wur. 
He  said  he  had  seen  Rose  and  five  or  six  other  girls  carried  off. 
Whether  old  Steve  wur  rubbed  out  I  don't  know.  I  didn't 
stop  to  ask  no  questions.  I  knew  whereabout  your  outfit  was, 
and  rode  straight  for  it." 

"  Then  the  skunks  have  got  sixteen  or  seventeen  hours'  start," 
Broncho  said.  "  There  is  no  chance  of  our  catching  them  till 
they  are  right  back  into  their  own  country.  I  reckon  we  shall 
have  a  pretty  sharp  fight  of  it  before  we  get  them  gals  back." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

AN   INDIAN   RAID. 

THE  cow-boys  were  all  mounted  on  horses  that  had  not  been 
worked  for  some  days.  Hugh  was  on  Prince,  and  they 
got  over  the  ground  at  great  speed,  arriving  before  sunset  at 
the  ruined  village.  There  were  three  or  four  men,  seven  or 
eight  women,  and  as  many  children  gathered  when  they  rode  in. 
The  men  had  been  absent  when  the  attack  took  place,  the 
women  had  escaped  by  seizing  their  children  and  rushing  out 
at  the  backs  of  the  houses  and  hiding  among  the  rocks  and 
bushes,  as  soon  as  the  yells  of  the  Indians  and  the  explosion  of 
the  firearms  burst  upon  their  ears. 

"  We  heard  you  was  coming,"  one  of  the  men  said ;  "  but  I 
fear  it  is  too  late ;  they  have  got  too  far  a  start  altogether." 

"We  didn't  waste  a  minute,"  Broncho  Harry  said;  "we 
wur  in  the  saddle  three  minutes  after  Tom  brought  us  the 
news,  and  we  have  rode  seventy  miles  since.  Tom  has  done 
a  hundred  and  forty  since  last  night.  Where  is  Steve  Ruther- 
ford ?  has  he  been  wiped  out  ?  " 

"  No ;  he  wur  away  after  a  bunch  of  horses  that  had  strayed. 
He  wur  camping  out  twenty  mile  away  when  he  saw  the  light 
and  guessed  what  it  wur ;  he  drove  the  horses  in  before  him, 
feeling  sure  as  he  would  be  too  late  to  do  any  good,  but  reckon- 
ing that  they  might  be  useful." 

"  Good  man,"  Broncho  said ;  "  but  where  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  went  on  alone  after  them,"  the  man  said.  "  Some  of 
us  would  have  gone  with  him,  but  he  reckoned  he  had  best  go 
alone ;  thar  wurn't  enough  of  us  to  fight ;  he  allowed  that  you 


FRESH   MOUNTS.  207 

boys  would  be  here  presently,  for  the  young  un  here  told  us  as 
Tom  had  ridden  off  with  the  news.  Rube  Garston  and  Jim 
Gattling  rid  off  an  hour  later,  and  I  reckon  they  will  bring  a  few 
more  up  before  morning ;  may  be  sooner." 

"  How  many  horses  are  there?  " 

"  Fifteen  of  the  old  man's,  I  reckon.  They  are  in  that  cor- 
ral behind  his  house,  and  I  guess  we  have  got  as  many  more 
between  us." 

"  Then  there  are  enough  to  mount  us  ten  and  as  many  more," 
Broncho  Harry  said.  "Ours  ain't  good  for  no  more  travel 
to-night.  Waal,  we  will  just  eat  a  bit,  and  then  we  shall  be 
ready  to  go  on.  How  many  air  there  of  you  ?  " 

"  Six  here." 

"Waal,  that  makes  sixteen.  I  see  three  of  you  have  got 
rifles,  and  four  of  us  have  brought  rifles  along  with  us.  The  only 
question  is,  which  way  have  the  red  devils  ridden  ?  It  air  no 
use  our  following  them  if  we  haven't  a  clue  of  some  sort.  I 
reckon  Steve  will  be  here  before  long ;  that  is  what  he  has  gone 
for.  He  would  know  he  couldn't  do  any  good  himself,  and  he 
would  be  pretty  well  sure  as  we  couldn't  gather  here  in  any 
such  force  as  could  enter  the  Injun  country  afore  this  even- 
ing." 

"  He  took  a  lantern  with  him,"  one  of  the  boys  said. 

"  Yes,  that  is  it.  I  guess  he  followed  on  foot  till  daylight, 
then  he  mounted  and  went  on  their  trail  until  he  could  give 
a  pretty  good  guess  as  to  where  they  was  heading ;  then  I 
allow  he  will  come  back  to  tell  us ;  that  is  how  I  read  it." 

"  I  expect  you  are  right,  Broncho.  He  didn't  say  much 
when  he  started;  but  when  we  talked  of  going  with  him  he 
said,  '  Just  you  stop  where  you  are,  there  ain't  anything  you  can 
do  ;  we  can't  fight  them  till  we  get  help.  You  just  wait  right 
here,  boys.'  It  wur  rather  rough  on  us,  when  our  gals  are  being 
carried  off  and  our  wives  have  been  killed,  and  the  hull  place 
ruined  ;  but  we  knew  as  Steve  knew  a  sight  more  about  Injuns 
than  we  did,  and  had  been  many  a  time  into  the  heart  of  the 
Injun  country  afore  they  broke  out,  so  we  waited.  But  I  tell 


208  A   REINFORCEMENT. 

you,  Harry,  it  wur  hard  work  to  sit  quiet  and  know  that  them 
murdering  villains  was  getting  further  away  every  hour." 

"  We  will  have  them  yet !  "  Harry  said  confidently.  "  If  the 
old  man  don't  ride  up  in  another  half-hour  we  will  start.  We 
will  follow  the  trail  as  far  as  we  can  with  lanterns.  If  we  get 
to  any  place  where  the  trail  branches,  then  there  will  be 
nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  for  Steve.  Have  yer  eaten  ?  because 
if  not,  yer  had  best  fill  up.  It  air  no  use  starting  on  such  a 
job  as  this  fasting.  We  shall  have  need  of  all  our  strength 
afore  we  have  done,  you  can  bet  your  boots  ! " 

None  of  the  men  had,  in  fact,  eaten  anything  since  the  pre- 
ceding night,  but  they  saw  the  justice  of  the  advice. 

"  There  is  some  sheep  up  behind  my  place,"  one  of  them 
said.  "Like  enough  they  was  up  on  the  hills  when  the 
Injuns  came,  but  I  saw  some  of  them  go  in  there  this  morning. 
There  ain't  no  time  for  cooking  now,  so  we  will  share  your 
grub,  and  I  will  shoot  three  or  four  of  the  sheep  and  cut  them 
up.  They  will  last  us  for  two  or  three  days." 

"  That  is  a  good  idee ;  and  if  there  is  any  flour  as  hasn't 
been  carried  off,  you  had  best  make  up  a  few  lots  of  five  or  six 
pounds  each  and  tie  them  up  in  cloths.  They  will  come  in 
mighty  handy.  Hello  !  here  are  some  more  of  the  boys  ! "  A 
minute  later  eight  more  cow-boys  rode  up. 

"  Hello,  Broncho !  I  thought  we  should  find  your  crowd 
here.  We  have  ridden  all  we  knew  to  be  here  in  time  to  go 
on  with  you — that  is,  if  you  are  going  on." 

"  We  are  going  on  as  far  as  we  can,  Ike  ;  we  are  just  chang- 
ing horses.  I  think  there  are  about  enough  left  to  give  you 
one  each." 

"  Have  you  any  news  which  way  the  Red-skins  have  gone  ?  " 

"  Not  yet.  Old  man  Rutherford  followed  'em  up.  I  expect 
he  will  be  here  soon ;  if  not,  we  shall  meet  him.  They  have 
got  twenty  hours'  start — that  is  the  worst  of  it.  No,  there 
ain't  no  chance  of  overtaking  them,  that  is  sartin.  What  we 
have  got  to  do  is  to  wipe  some  of  them  out,  and  to  give  them 
a  lesson,  and  get  the  girls  back  again  if  we  can ;  and  we  have 


"  INJUNS  AIR   PISON."  209 

got  to  do  it  quick,  else  we  shall  have  the  hull  Injun  country 
up  agin  us." 

"  I  did  not  think  that  they  would  have  done  it,"  another 
man  said.  "The  old  man  wur  always  good  friends  with  the 
Injuns,  and  made  them  welcome  when  they  came  along." 

"  It  ain't  no  good  being  kind  to  Injuns,"  another  put  fm- 
"  There  ain't  no  gratitude  in  them." 

"  Injuns  air  pison  ! "  Broncho  said  j  and  a  general  murmur  of" 
agreement  expressed  that  in  the  opinion  of  the  cow-boys  this, 
summed  up  the  characteristics  of  the  Red-skins. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  new-comers  were  provided  with  fresh 
horses.  A  spare  horse  was  taken  on  for  Rutherford,  and  then, 
headed  by  the  survivors  of  the  raid,  the  party  started  three- 
and-twenty  strong.  They  travelled  fast;  not  that  there  was 
any  occasion  for  speed,  but  because,  every  man  was  burning  with 
the  desire  to  get  at  the  enemy.  After  riding  about  twenty- 
miles  they  checked  their  horses,  for  a  fire  was  seen  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead. 

"That's  all  right,"  one  of  the  settlers  said.  "That  will  be 
Rutherford,  sure  enough.  It  is  just  there  where  the  valley  forks. 
He  is  waiting  there  for  us.  He  would  know  we  shouldn't 
want  a  guide  as  far  as  this." 

As  they  came  up  a  tall  figure  rose  from  beside  the  fire. 

"Well,  Steve,  have  you  tracked  them?"  Jim  Gattling,  the 
youngest  of  the  party  from  the  village,  asked  eagerly. 

"  They  have  gone  over  the  divide  into  the  Springer  Valley^ 
have  followed  that  some  way,  and  then  through  the  little  canon, 
and  up  towards  the  head-waters  of  the  Pequinah  Creek.  I 
only  went  through  the  canon  to  see  which  way  they  turned,, 
and  then  made  back  here.  I  guessed  some  of  you  would  be 
coming  along  about  this  time." 

"Was  they  riding  fast?" 

"  No.  They  halted  here  for  some  hours.  I  reckon  they  had 
ridden  a  long  way  afore  they  attacked  our  place.  I  saw  their 
fires  some  time  afore  I  got  to  them,  or  I  might  have  walked  into 
them,  for  I  didn't  think  they  would  have  halted  so  soon.  I 


210  "WE  WILL   FIGHT  THEM,   STEVE." 

tied  the  boss  up  and  scouted  round  'em  and  when  they  started 
this  morning  before  daylight  took  up  the  trail  after  them.  They 
weren't  travelling  very  fast.  You  see  they  had  got  about  a 
hundred  head  of  cattle  with  them,  and  I  reckon  they  have 
three  or  four  days'  journey  before  them.  As  far  as  I  could  make 
out,  from  what  I  seed  of  them,  they  don't  belong  to  this  part 
at  all.  Sartin  they  was  going  easy,  and  didn't  reckon  on 
being  followed.  It  ain't  often  they  get  chased  when  they  are 
once  in  the  hills.  Waal,  boys,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  and  I 
thank  ye  all.  It  is  what  I  expected  from  yer,  for  I  felt  sure 
that  when  you  got  the  news  you  would  muster  up." 

"  We  have  brought  a  fresh  horse  for  you,  Steve,"  Jim  Gatt- 
ling  said.  "  We  druv  in  a  herd  this  afternoon,  and  they  all 
changed  back  there,  so  we  are  ready  to  ride  at  once." 

"  That's  good,  Jim  !  I  was  wondering  over  that,  and  think- 
ing that  if  yours  had  come  in  from  the  plains  they  wouldn't  be 
fit  for  any  more  travel  to-night,  for  I  knew  they  was  a  long 
way  out.  Where  wur  you,  Broncho? " 

"We  wur  on  Little  Creek." 

"  Ah  !  that's  about  sixty  miles  away  from  our  place.  Waal, 
boys,  we  may  as  well  go  on  over  the  divide  and  down  into 
the  valley;  there  we  had  best  camp.  You  will  have  done 
a  hundred  miles  by  then,  and  will  want  sleep.  Besides,  we 
mustn't  knock  the  hosses  up ;  they  have  got  their  work  before 
them,  and  maybe  we  shall  have  to  ride  on  our  way  back." 

"  How  many  of  the  skunks  are  there?" 

«  Over  forty." 

"We  sha'n't  have  much  trouble  with  that  lot,"  Broncho 
Harry  said. 

"  Not  if  we  catch  them  before  they  git  to  their  village,  Broncho. 
But  I  doubt  whether  we  shall  do  that." 

"  Waal,  we  will  fight  them,  Steve,  if  there  was  four  hundred 
of  them  ! "  Harry  said.  "  We  have  come  to  get  your  Rosie  and 
the  others  back,  and  we  are  going  to  do  it,  you  bet." 

Rutherford  held  out  his  hand  and  gripped  that  of  the  cow- 
boy; then,  mounting  the  horse  that  had  been  brought  for 


ON  THE   TRAIL.  211 

him,  he  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  party  and  led  the 
way. 

It  was  a  toilsome  journey  over  the  shoulder  that  divided  the 
two  valleys.  The  pace  was  necessarily  confined  to  a  walk,  and 
it  was  five  hours  before  they  reached  the  stream  upon  which 
they  were  to  camp.  Here  the  horses  were  turned  loose  to 
graze,  and  the  men  threw  themselves  down  upon  the  ground 
and  were  soon  asleep,  for  it  was  now  past  midnight.  With 
the  dawn  of  day  they  were  on  their  feet  again,  a  great  fire 
lighted,  and  some  of  the  mutton  cut  up  and  cooked,  and  some 
cakes  baked.  As  soon  as  the  meal  was  eaten  they  again 
started. 

Hugh  had  not  changed  his  horse  at  the  village.  Broncho 
Harry  told  him  that  it  was  not  likely  they  would  travel 
for  many  hours  that  evening,  and  he  knew  that  Prince,  who 
had  had  an  easy  time  of  it  lately,  could  easily  do  this,  and  he 
greatly  preferred  keeping  him,  for  he  felt  that  upon  such  an 
expedition  as  this  his  speed  might  be  of  the  greatest  utility. 

A  rapid  ride  of  ten  miles  up  the  valley  took  them  to  the 
mouth  of  the  canon,  which  came  into  the  main  valley  at  a  sharp 
angle.  It  was  wide  at  the  entrance,  but  soon  narrowed  down 
into  a  gorge  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  wide,  with  rocks  rising  pre- 
cipitously on  both  sides.  It  was  evident  by  the  smoothly-worn 
face  that  in  the  wet  season  a  tremendous  torrent  rushed  down, 
filling  it  thirty  or  forty  feet  deep  ;  but  it  was  perfectly  dry  now, 
and  for  the  most  part  they  were  able  to  ride  at  a  fair  pace. 
Here  and  there,  however,  masses  of  rock  had  fallen  down  from 
above  since  the  last  rains,  and  here  they  had  to  dismount  and 
allow  the  horses  to  clamber  over  by  themselves  as  best  they 
could.  At  such  spots  scratches  upon  the  face  of  the  stones 
showed  where  the  party  they  were  pursuing  had  passed  on 
the  previous  day. 

The  canon  was  upwards  of  a  mile  in  length,  and  the  valley 
into  which  it  led  was  some  hundreds  of  feet  higher  than  that 
which  they  had  left.  As  soon  as  they  emerged  from  the  pass 
they  put  their  horses  into  a  gallop,  the  track  of  the  party  before 


212  A   HALT. 

them  being  plainly  visible.  As  they  got  deeper  among  the 
mountains  the  scenery  became  very  wild.  Forests  clothed  the 
hills.  Great  masses  of  rock  towered  above  the  valley,  and 
huge  blocks  of  stone  encumbered  the  route  they  had  to  pursue. 
Sometimes  the  track  left  the  bottom  and  wound  up  the  hillside, 
passing  at  times  along  the  ledges,  with  precipices  above  and 
below.  Anxious  as  they  were  to  press  forward,  much  of  the 
journey  had  to  be  performed  at  a  foot-pace,  for  many  of  the 
horses  having  been  brought  up  on  the  plains  all  their  lives 
were  fidgety  and  nervous  on  such  unaccustomed  ground,  and 
required  coaxing  and  care  to  get  them  along  the  passes. 

They  travelled  until  late  in  the  afternoon  and  then  halted. 
The  next  day's  work  was  of  the  same  character.  They  were 
now  high  up  among  the  hills,  and  Steve  told  them  that  they 
were  near  the  crest  of  the  range. 

"We  had  better  stop  here,"  Rutherford  said  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  as  they  arrived  at  a  little  stream. 
"  We  mustn't  knock  the  critters  up ;  they  have  done  a  good 
day's  work  already." 

"  We  have  gained  upon  them,  Steve,"  Broncho  Harry  said. 
"The  traces  have  been  getting  fresher." 

"Yes,  we  have  gained  a  bit,  but  not  very  much.  Their 
horses  would  go  faster  than  ours,  because  they  are  accustomed 
to  the  mountains ;  but  the  cattle  will  have  kept  them  back. 
Why  I  stop  here  is  because  there  is  a  sort  of  wall  of  rock  with 
a  passage  up  through  it  a  mile  or  two  ahead,  and  though  I 
don't  expect  they  have  any  idea  they  are  followed,  they  are 
like  enough  to  have  left  a  sentry  on  the  top  of  that  wall.  It 
'ud  never  do  for  them  to  attack  us  here ;  we  should  have  no 
show  at  all.  I  want  to  get  my  girl  back,  but  throwing  away 
our  lives  ain't  the  way  to  do  it.  Be  careful  how  you  pick  the 
wood  for  the  fires,  boys  :  we  mustn't  let  any  smoke  go  curling 
up.  You  have  got  to  see  that  every  bit  you  put  on  is  as  dry 
as  a  chip." 

"  How  on  earth  do  the  Indians  manage  to  live  among  these 
hills?  "  Hugh  asked,  after  the  meal  had  been  cooked  and  eaten. 


"WE  MAY  HAVE  TO  GO  DOWN  THAT  WAY."       213 

"The  country  is  different  on  the  other  side,"  Jim  Gattling. 
said.  "  We  are  pretty  nearly  up  to  the  top  of  the  divide  now, 
and  on  the  other  side  the  slopes  are  much  more  gradual.  They 
have  plenty  of  ranges  where  they  have  got  cattle  and  sheep. 
But  I  don't  know  nothing  about  the  country  here.  Steve  has 
been  over,  but  there  ain't  many  as  has." 

"Yes,"  Rutherford  said,  "it  is  as  Jim  says.  There  is  a  wide 
sort  of  plateau,  with  big  valleys  down  to  the  Canadian.  We 
ain't  very  far  now  from  the  frontier  of  New  Mexico,  and  from 
the  top  of  the  hills  here  you  can  see  the  Spanish  peaks  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  away.  I  reckon  we  may  have  to  go  down  that 
side.  There  are  a  heap  of  Injun  villages  up  here,  and  though  we 
may  thrash  the  lot  ahead  of  us  they  would  gather  pretty  thick 
in  a  short  time,  and  like  enough  cut  us  off  going  back,  for  they 
know  the  tracks  better  than  we  do,  and  their  horses  would  go- 
at a  gallop  along  places  where  we  should  have  to  drag  ours. 
Going  down  the  other  way  we  can  ride  as  fast  as  they  can, 
and  when  we  once  get  down  in  the  valley  of  the  Canadian  we 
shall  get  help  at  the  ranches  there." 

"  That  will  certainly  be  the  best  way,  Steve,"  Broncho  Harry 
said.  "  We  are  all  ready  to  fight  any  number  of  them  on  the 
plains,  but  it  wouldn't  be  good  to  be  hemmed  up  among 
these  hills  with  no  chance  of  help.  We  could  keep  them  off, 
I  reckon,  till  we  had  eaten  our  boots,  but  they  would  make  an 
end  of  us  at  last,  sure.  Have  you  often  been  along  this  line 
before,  Steve  ?  " 

"  Once.  I  came  across  here  with  a  party  of  Red-skins  just 
after  the  last  peace  wur  made  with  them,  when  it  was  sure 
that  they  wouldn't  break  out  again  until  they  had  got  their 
presents.  I  had  got  a  stock  of  beads,  and  looking-glasses  and 
cottons,  and  such  like,  and  went  up  with  a  couple  of  mules  and 
traded  among  them  for  skins,  and  worked  robes  and  moccasins 
and  Indian  trumpery.  I  sent  them  back  east,  and  did  a  pretty 
good  trade  with  them.  But  I  know  the  other  side  well.  I 
was  ranching  two  years  down  on  the  Canadian,  and  we  had  two 
or  three  fights  with  the  Red-skins,  who  was  pretty  troublesome 


214  STEVE'S  PLAN. 

about  that  time.  There  weren't  many  ranches  down  there  then, 
and  we  had  to  look  pretty  spry  to  keep  the  har  on  our  heads." 

"  And  how  do  you  propose  to  work  it  now,  Steve? " 

"  Well,  I  reckon  that  if  they  have  got  a  sentry  on  them  rocks 
I  spoke  of  he  won't  stay  there  after  dark,  and  that  the  danger 
will  be  at  the  other  end  of  the  pass.  Like  enough,  there  will 
be  one  or  two  of  them  there.  I  reckon  the  best  plan  will  be 
for  me  and  Jim  Gattling  and  a  kipple  of  others  to  go  on  ahead 
quiet.  If  we  find  any  of  the  skunks  there,  in  course  we  shall 
wipe  them  out.  When  we  have  done  that  the  rest  can  come 
up  the  pass.  It  ain't  no  place  for  anyone  as  doesn't  know 
every  foot  of  the  way  to  come  up  in  the  dark ;  and  you  must 
make  torches,  ready  to  light  up,  when  one  of  us  goes  back  with 
the  news  that  the  pass  is  clear.  As  soon  as  we  have  done  with 
the  Red-skins,  Jim  and  I  will  go  off  scouting.  You  see  we 
don't  know  yet  what  band  this  is,  or  how  far  their  village  is 
away.  We  will  follow  on  the  trail,  and  when  the  rest  get  up 
through  the  pass  they  must  just  wait  till  we  bring  them  word. 
I  reckon,  from  their  coming  by  this  road,  as  their  place  is  about 
fifteen  mile  from  the  top  of  the  pass.  There  is  a  big  village 
there,  and  I  expect  they  belong  to  it.  I  reckon  they  are  just 
getting  there  now,  and  they  will  be  feasting  pretty  considerable 
to-night.  It  air  a  pity  we  ain't  handy.  However,  it  cannot 
be  helped.  We  should  risk  it  all  if  we  was  to  try  to  push 
on  afore  it  got  dark." 

"Your  plan  seems  to  pan  out  all  right,  Steve.  Who  will 
you  take  with  you  ?  " 

"  Waal,  you  and  Long  Tom  may  as  well  come,  Broncho, 
though,  I  reckon,  it  don't  make  much  difference,  for  you  all 
means  fighting." 

As  soon  as  it  became  dusk  the  party  again  moved  forward. 

"  That's  the  rock,"  Rutherford  said,  pointing  to  a  long  dark 
line  that  rose  up  before  them.  "  They  can't  see  us  here,  and 
I  reckon  if  there  wur  a  scout  there  he  has  moved  off  before 
this.  Now,  do  you  other  fellows  take  our  critters  and  just 
move  on  slowly.  You  see  that  point  sticking  up  above  the 


"IT  AIN'T  GONE  OFF  RIGHT."  215 

line.  Waal,  that  is  on  one  side  of  the  pass ;  so  you  just  make 
for  that,  and  stop  when  you  get  there  till  one  of  us  comes 
back." 

The  torches  had  been  prepared  during  the  halt,  two  or 
three  young  pitch-pines  having  been  cut  down  and  split  up  for 
the  purpose.  The  four  scouts  moved  off  at  a  quick  walk,  and 
the  rest  of  the  party  picked  their  way  along  slowly  and 
cautiously  towards  the  point  Steve  had  indicated.  They  had 
some  little  trouble  in  finding  the  entrance  to  the  pass,  but  when 
they  discovered  it  they  threw  the  bridles  on  their  horses'  necks 
and  dismounted.  The  time  went  slowly,  but  it  was  not  more 
than  two  hours  before  they  heard  a  slight  noise  up  the  pass, 
and  a  minute  or  two  later  a  footfall. 

"Is  that  you,  Broncho?"  Hugh  asked. 

"  No,  it  air  me ;  but  it  is  all  the  same  thing,  I  reckon. 
Jehoshaphat !  but  I  have  knocked  myself  pretty  nigh  to  pieces 
among  them  blessed  rocks.  It  air  just  as  dark  as  a  cave; 
there  ain't  no  seeing  your  hand." 

"Well,  is  it  all  right,  Tom?" 

"  No,  it  ain't  gone  off  right.  When  we  got  to  the  top  of 
the  pass  there  wur  two  Red-skins  sitting  at  a  fire.  We  come 
along  as  quiet  as  we  could,  but  just  as  we  got  in  sight  of  them 
I  suppose  they  heard  something,  for  they  both  jumped  on  to 
their  feet  and  wur  out  of  sight  like  a  streak  of  lightning.  We 
waited  without  moving  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  they  came 
back  again.  We  could  have  shot,  but  Steve  reckoned  it  was 
too  great  a  risk ;  so  he  and  Jim  undertook  to  crawl  forward 
while  Broncho  and  me  wur  to  keep  ready  to  shoot  if  the  Red- 
skins made  a  bolt.  It  wur  a  long  time,  or  at  least  seemed  so. 
The  Red-skins  was  restless,  and  we  could  see  they  was  on 
the  listen.  Waal,  at  last  up  they  both  jumped  ;  but  it  wur  too 
late.  Steve  and  Jim  fired  and  down  they  both  went,  and  we 
came  on.  The  wust  of  the  business  wur,  that  one  of  their 
bosses  broke  loose  and  bolted.  Steve  fired  after  him.  He  may 
have  hit  him,  or  he  may  not ;  anyhow  he  went  off.  So  now 
you  have  got  to  hurry  up  all  you  know." 


216  "i  DON'T  RECKON  THAT  WORTH  A  CENT." 

The  torches  were  at  once  lit,  and  leading  their  horses  the 
party  made  their  way  up  the  gorge.  It  was  steep  and  narrow, 
and  encumbered  with  boulders;  but  in  half  an  hour  they 
reached  the  other  end.  Broncho  Harry  was  awaiting  them. 

"We  have  got  to  move  away  to  the  right  for  about  half 
a  mile  and  stop  there.  There  is  a  clump  of  trees,  and  that  is 
where  we  are  to  wait.  It  air  a  'tarnal  bad  business  that  air 
hoss  getting  away.  He  is  pretty  sure  to  bring  the  Injuns 
down  on  us.  Steve  ain't  going  very  far.  He  sez  there  is 
another  village  about  three  miles  from  the  one  he  thinks  most 
likely ;  and  when  he  gets  about  four  miles  away  from  here  he 
will  be  able  to  see  which  way  the  tracks  go,  and  then  he  will 
come  straight  back  to  the  trees." 

"  Do  you  think  you  hit  the  horse,  Harry?  "  Hugh  asked  as 
they  made  their  way  to  the  clump  of  trees. 

"  You  don't  suppose  I  could  miss  a  horse  if  I  tried,  Hugh. 
I  hit  him  sure  enough,  worse  luck.  If  I  had  missed  him  it 
wouldn't  have  mattered  so  much.  If  he  came  galloping  in  by 
himself  they  might  have  thought  he  had  got  scared  at  some- 
thing— by  a  bar,  perhaps — and  had  just  made  tracks  for  the 
camp.  Like  enough  they  would  have  sent  off  four  men  to  see 
if  it  wur  all  right ;  but  when  the  blessed  thing  turns  up  with 
a  bullet  in  his  hide,  they  will  know  there  has  been  a  fight." 

"  What  do  you  think  they  will  do  then,  Harry  ?  Are  they 
likely  to  ride  out  in  force  to  the  gap?  " 

"  They  may,  and  they  may  not.  I  should  say  they  won't. 
I  should  guess  they'll  just  throw  out  scouts  all  round  their 
village  and  wait  till  morning.  They  won't  know  how  strong  our 
party  is,  and  wouldn't  take  the  risk  of  being  ambushed  in  the 
dark." 

"  Perhaps  when  the  horse  goes  in  they  won't  notice  it,  espe- 
.  daily  as  they  will  be  feasting  and  dancing." 

"  I  don't  reckon  that  worth  a  cent,  Hugh.  There  are  safe  to 
rbe  one  or  two  of  their  boys  out  looking  after  the  horses  ;  besides, 
'.those  varmints'  ears  are  always  open.  They  would  hear  a  horse 
Doming  at  a  gallop  across  the  plain  half  a  mile  away,  aye,  and 


"  I   DON'T  SEE   NO   WAY   OUT   OF   IT."  217 

more  than  that.  Directly  the  boy  sees  the  horse  is  saddled  he 
will  run  in  and  tell  them,  then  they  will  take  it  in  by  the  fire 
and  look  at  it.  When  they  see  the  mark  I  have  made  on 
it  there  will  be  a  nice  rumpus,  you  bet.  They  will  know 
what  it  means  just  as  if  it  wur  all  writ  down  for  them." 

Two  hours  passed,  and  then  the  sound  of  an  approaching 
horse  was  heard. 

"Well,  Steve,  what  news?" 

"  The  horse  has  gone  on  straight  for  the  village — the  one  we 
thought — and  all  the  other  tracks  go  in  that  direction.  There 
ain't  no  chance  of  taking  them  by  surprise  now." 

"  What  do  you  think  they  will  do,  Steve?" 

"  They  will  just  watch  all  night,  that  is  sartin,  and  in  the 
morning  two  or  three  will  be  sent  out  to  scout.  There  ain't 
many  trees  about  here,  and  they  will  reckon  that  they  can  see 
us  as  soon  as  we  see  them ;  and  those  they  send  out  are  safe 
to  be  on  the  best  horses  they  have  got.  In  course  we  could 
He  down  there  by  the  gap  and  shoot  them  when  they  come  up  ; 
but  I  don't  see  as  that  would  do  us  any  good.  When  they 
didn't  get  back  it  would  only  put  the  others  more  on  their 
guard  than  ever.  If  we  don't  shoot  them  they  will  find  our 
tracks  here,  and  take  back  news  how  many  we  are.  I  tell  you, 
lads,  look  at  it  as  I  will,  I  don't  see  no  way  out  of  it ;  and  what 
makes  it  wuss  is,  when  they  take  back  news  that  the  scouts 
they  left  here  have  both  been  shot,  it  will  go  mighty  hard  with 
the  captives  in  the  village.  I  can't  see  no  way  out  of  the  kink 
anyhow.  I  am  ready  to  give  my  life  cheerful  for  Rosie,  but 
I  ain't  going  to  ask  you  to  give  your  lives  when  I  don't  see  as 
there  is  any  chance  of  getting  her.  Do  you  see  any  way  out 
of  the  job,  Broncho?" 

"  I  don't,  Steve.  As  you  say,  there  was  about  forty  or  fifty 
of  these  varmint  in  the  expedition,  and  we  may  reckon  there 
will  be  as  many  more  able  to  draw  a  trigger  in  the  village. 
That  makes  eighty.  Four  to  one  is  pretty  long  odds.  If  they 
was  out  in  the  plain  we  might  be  a  match  for  them,  but  to 
attack  an  Injun  camp  that's  waiting  and  ready  ain't  the  same 


218  HUGH'S  SUGGESTION. 

thing  as  fighting  in  the  plains.  Half  of  us  would  go  down 
before  we  got  in,  and  there  would  not  be  no  more  chance  of 
the  rest  of  us  getting  the  captives  away  than  there  would  if 
they  was  in  the  moon.  If  it  hadn't  been  for  this  affair  of  the 
hoss  we  might  have  carried  out  your  plans,  and  you  might  have 
made  your  way  into  the  village  ;  and  there  wur  just  the  chance 
that  yer  might  have  got  them  out  and  brought  them  along  to 
some  likely  place  where  we  was  handy;  but  there  ain't  no 
need  to  talk  about  that  now.  They  will  be  guarded  that 
strict  that  a  bird  couldn't  get  to  them  with  a  message.  That 
ain't  to  be  thought  of.  Can  any  of  you  boys  think  of  any- 
thing ?  " 

No  one  spoke.  Then  Hugh  said  :  "  I  am  only  a  young  hand 
yet,  and  I  don't  know  that  my  ideas  are  worth  anything,  but  I 
will  tell  you  what  they  are,  and  then  you  can  improve  upon 
them  perhaps.  It  seems  to  me  that,  in  the  first  place,  we  ought 
to  leave  say  four  men  at  the  gap.  If  four  Indian  scouts  come 
out  they  ought  to  shoot  or  rope  three  of  them,  and  let  the 
fourth  escape.  If  there  were  only  two  of  them  I  would  let  one 
get  away." 

"What  should  they  do  that  for,  Hugh?"  Broncho  Harry 
asked  in  surprise. 

"  I  will  tell  you  directly,  Broncho.  All  the  rest  of  us  except 
the  four  who  are  left  on  watch  should  start  at  once  and  make  a 
big  circuit,  and  come  round  to  the  other  side  of  the  village,  and 
stop  a  mile  or  so  away  in  hiding ;  at  any  rate,  as  near  as  we 
can  get.  Why  I  propose  letting  one  go  is  this.  Suppose  three 
or  four  scouts  go  out  and  none  return,  the  Indians  will  be  sure 
that  they  have  fallen  in  a  trap  somewhere.  They  won't  know 
how  strong  we  are,  or  whether  we  think  of  making  an  attack 
on  their  village,  and  they  will  stop  there  expecting  us  for 
days  perhaps,  and  then  send  out  scouts  again.  Now,  if  one 
gets  back  with  the  news  that  they  saw  no  signs  of  us  until 
they  got  close  to  the  gap,  and  then  three  or  four  shots  were 
fired  and  his  comrades  were  killed,  but  he  got  off  without  being 
pursued,  it  seems  to  me  that  they  would  naturally  imagine  that 


"  SHAKE,   YOUNG   FELLOW  !  "  219 

there  was  only  a  small  party  at  the  gap — perhaps  three  or  four 
men  from  the  village  they  attacked,  who  had  come  out  to  revenge 
themselves — and  would  send  out  a  strong  party  of  their  braves 
at  once  to  attack  them.  Of  course  the  four  men  left  at  the 
gap  would,  directly  they  had  done  their  work,  and  the  Indian 
was  out  of  sight,  mount  their  horses  and  make  the  same  circuit 
as  we  had  done,  and  join  us  as  quickly  as  they  could.  We 
should  be  keeping  watch,  and  after  seeing  the  war  party  ride 
off  we  could  dash  straight  down  into  the  village.  Half,  and 
perhaps  more  than  half,  of  their  fighting  men  will  have  gone, 
and  the  others,  making  sure  that  we  were  still  at  the  gap, 
and  that  there  was  no  fear  of  attack,  will  be  careless,  and 
we  should  be  pretty  well  into  the  village  before  a  shot  was 
fired." 

"  Shake,  young  fellow  ! "  Steve  Rutherford  said,  holding  out 
his  hand  to  Hugh.  "  That  air  a  judgematical  plan,  and  if  it 
don't  succeed  it  ought  ter." 

There  was  a  general  chorus  of  assent. 

"  It  beats  me  altogether,"  Steve  went  on,  "  how  yer  should 
have  hit  on  a  plan  like  that  when  I,  who  have  been  fighting 
Injuns  off  and  on  for  the  last  twenty  years,  couldn't  see  my 
way  no  more  than  if  I  had  been  a  mole.  You  may  be  young 
on  the  plains,  Lightning,  fur  so  I  have  heard  them  call  yer,  but 
yer  couldn't  have  reasoned  it  out  better  if  yer  had  been  at  it 
fifty  years.  I  tell  you,  young  fellow,  if  I  get  my  Rosie  back 
agin  it  will  be  thanks  to  you,  and  if  the  time  comes  as  yer 
want  a  man  to  stand  by  yer  to  the  death  yer  can  count  Steve 
Rutherford  in." 

"  And  Jim  Gattling,"  the  young  settler  said.  "  Rosie  and 
me  wur  going  to  get  hitched  next  month,  and  it  don't  need  no 
talk  to  tell  yer  what  I  feels  about  it." 

"Which  of  us  shall  stay,  and  which  of  us  shall  go?"  Broncho 
Harry  said.  "You  are  the  only  man  as  knows  the  country, 
Steve  ;  so  you  must  go  sartin.  Long  Tom  and  me  will  stay 
here  if  you  like.  You  can  give  me  the  general  direction  of 
the  village,  and  I  expect  I  can  make  shift  to  come  round  and 


220  LAST    DIRECTIONS. 

join  you.  Besides,  there  will  be  your  trail  to  follow.  1  don't 
reckon  they  will  send  out  those  scouts  till  daylight.  Anyhow, 
we  won't  start  before  that,  and  we  are  safe  to  be  able  to  follow 
your  trail  then.  Who  will  stop  with  us?  Will  you  stay, 
Hugh?" 

"  No  ! "  Hugh  said  decidedly ;  "  I  will  go  with  Steve.  I  am 
not  a  very  sure  shot  with  the  rifle." 

"  You  can  shoot  straight  enough,"  Broncho  Harry  said. 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  isn't  that,  Harry ;  but  so  far  I  have  had 
no  Indian  fighting,  and  though  I  am  quite  ready  to  go  in  and 
do  my  share  in  a  fight,  I  tell  you  fairly  that  I  couldn't  shoot 
men  down,  however  hostile,  in  cold  blood." 

"  All  right,  Hugh.  You  sha'n't  stay  with  us.  When  you  know 
the  Injuns  as  well  as  we  do,  and  know  that  mercy  ain't  a  thing 
as  ever  enters  their  minds,  and  that  they  murders  women  and 
children  in  cold  blood,  and  that  if  they  do  take  a  prisoner  it  is 
just  to  torture  him  until  he  dies,  you  won't  feel  that  way." 

"  I  will  stay  with  you,  Broncho,"  Jim  Gattling  said.  "  I 
have  just  seen  my  house  burnt  and  the  best  part  of  my  stock 
carried  away,  and  a  dozen  or  more  of  my  friends  killed  or 
scalped,  and  you  bet  I  would  kill  a  Red-skin  at  sight  just  as  I 
would  put  my  heel  on  a  rattlesnake." 

Another  of  the  party  also  volunteered  to  stay  at  the  gap. 

No  further  words  were  necessary.     The  party  mounted. 

"  That  is  where  the  village  lies,  Broncho ;  just  about  under 
that  star.  It  is  about  fifteen  mile,  as  I  told  you,  on  a  straight 
line.  We  shall  keep  over  there  to  the  right,  and  in  a  couple 
of  miles  we  shall  get  to  where  the  ground  falls,  and  will  travel 
along  there.  You  can't  be  wrong  if  you  keep  down  on  the 
slope.  There  air  no  chance  then  of  your  being  seen.  I  don't 
know  just  where  we  shall  turn  off.  There  are  several  dips  run 
down  from  above,  and  we  shall  follow  one  of  them  up  when  I 
reckon  we  have  got  a  mile  or  two  beyond  the  village.  So  keep 
a  sharp  look-out  for  our  trail  there.  You  needn't  bother  much 
about  it  before,  because  you  can't  miss  the  way ;  but  look  sharp 
at  the  turnings.  I  would  drop  something  to  show  you  where 


MAKING   A   CIRCUIT.  221 

we  turn  off,  but  if  any  Injun  happened  to  come  along  he  would 
be  safe  to  notice  it.  When  you  guess  you  have  ridden  far 
enough  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  the  place  when  we  turn  off, 
aad  then  follow  the  trail  careful.  It  is  rolling  ground,  that 
side  of  the  village,  and  I  reckon  we  kin  get  within  half  a  mile 
of  it.  There  ain't  much  fear  of  their  wandering  about,  and  any 
scouts  they  have  out  won't  be  on  that  side.  So  long  !  " 

Steve  Rutherford  led  the  way.  "There  ain't  no  need  to 
hurry,"  he  said.  "  We  have  got  plenty  of  time,  and  I  reckon 
that  when  we  get  a  bit  further  we  will  dismount  and  lead 
the  horses.  They  have  had  pretty  hard  work  coming  up  the 
hills,  and  I  tell  you  they  are  likely  to  want  all  their  speed  to- 
morrow, and  some  of  them  will  have  to  carry  doutle  if  we 
can't  manage  to  get  hold  of  a  few  of  the  Injun  ponies." 

Accordingly,  after  riding  for  half  an  hour,  the  party  dis- 
mounted, and  led  their  horses  for  a  long  distance.  This  was 
a  novel  exercise  to  the  cow-boys,  for  it  is  rare  for  one  of  them 
to  walk  a  hundred  yards.  A  horse  stands  ever  ready  at  hand, 
and  if  it  be  only  to  go  down  to  the  stream  hard  by  to  fetch  a 
bucket  of  water  the  cow-boy  will  always  throw  his  leg  over  his 
horse.  But  all  felt  the  justice  of  Steve's  remarks.  They  knew 
that  they  had  at  least  a  hundred-mile  ride  before  they  could  hope 
to  meet  friends,  and  that  the  pursuit  would  be  hot.  It  was 
therefore  of  vital  importance  that  the  horses  should  start  as 
fresh  as  possible.  After  three  hours'  walking  they  mounted 
again,  and  continued  their  way  until  Steve  Rutherford  said 
that  he  thought  they  had  gone  far  enough  now.  The  moon 
had  risen  at  two  o'clock,  and  its  light  had  enabled  them  to 
travel  fast  since  they  had  remounted.  Turning  up  a  hollow 
they  followed  it  for  about  two  miles,  and  then  found  they  were 
entering  a  hilly  and  rugged  country. 

"  Here  we  are,"  Steve  said.  "  The  village  lies  at  the  foot  of 
these  rocks.  I  don't  know  how  far  along  it  may  be,  but  I  am 
right  sure  that  we  have  got  beyond  it.  Now,  boys,  you  can 
sleep  till  daylight.  I  will  keep  watch,  and  see  that  none  of 
the  horses  stray." 


222  SCOUTING. 

In  a  very  few  minutes  all  was  quiet  in  the  little  valley,  save 
for  the  sound  of  the  horses  cropping  the  short  grass.  At  the 
first  gleam  of  daylight  Rutherford  stirred  up  one  of  the 
sleepers. 

"  I  am  going  to  scout,"  he  said.  "  When  the  others  wake 
tell  them  to  be  sure  not  to  stir  out  of  this  dip,  and  to  mind 
that  the  horses  don't  show  on  the  sky-line.  The  Injuns  will  be 
keeping  their  eyes  open  this  morning,  and  if  they  caught  sight 
of  one  of  them  critters  it  would  just  spoil  the  hull  plan." 

Rutherford  was  gone  two  hours.  Long  before  his  return  all 
the  men  were  up  and  about.  Bill  Royce  had  gone  a  little 
farther  up  the  valley,  which  narrowed  to  a  ravine,  and,  climbing 
the  rocks  cautiously,  had  taken  a  survey  of  the  country. 

"  No  signs  of  the  village,"  he  said  when  he  returned,  "  and 
no  signs  of  Injuns  as  far  as  I  can  see.  So  I  think,  if  we  go  up 
to  the  head  of  this  gulch,  it'll  be  safe  to  make  a  fire  and  cook 
the  rest  of  our  meat.  There  ain't  more  than  enough  for  one 
more  feed.  After  that  I  reckon  we  shall  have  to  take  to  horse- 
flesh. Now,  half  of  us  will  go  up  and  cook,  and  the  other  half 
keep  watch  here.  We  may  have  Steve  coming  back  with  twenty 
Red-skins  on  his  track. 

Just  as  they  had  fried  their  meat  Steve  returned. 

"We  are  about  three  miles  from  the  village,"  he  said,  "but 
keeping  along  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  we  can  get  to  within  half 
a  mile  of  it  safe.  Beyond  that  it  is  a  chance.  What  are  yom 
doing?" 

"  Cooking." 

"  Well,  one  must  eat,  but  the  sooner  we  get  on  the  better. 
We  want  to  watch  how  things  go." 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  finished  the  party  mounted,  and, 
keeping  close  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  rode  on  till  Steve  said, 
"We  cannot  go  beyond  that  next  bluff;  so  turn  up  thi3  gulch. 
I  looked  in,  and  there  is  good  feed  for  the  horses  there.  You 
had  better  look  round  when  you  get  in  to  see  as  there  ain't  no 
bar  or  nothing  to  scare  the  horses,  and  two  of  yer  had  best  stay 
on  guard  here  at  the  mouth.  Ef  one  of  them  critters  wur  \r 


"I  SHALL   SEE   PLENTY   OF  THEM."  223 

get  loose  and  to  scoot  out  below  there  our  lives  wouldn't  be 
worth  a  red  cent.  Now,  Stumpy,  you  and  Owen  and  me  will 
go  up  over  there.  From  among  them  bushes  just  at  the  foot  of 
the  rock  we  can  see  the  camp,  and  we  will  take  it  by  turns  to 
keep  watch.  If  you  others  will  take  my  advice  you  will  all  get 
as  much  sleep  as  you  can  till  we  come  for  you,  but  mind,  keep 
two  on  guard  here." 

"  Can  I  come  with  you,  Steve?"  Hugh  asked.  "  I  don't  feel 
like  sleep  at  all." 

"  You  can  take  my  place,  Lightning,"  Royce  said.  "  I  ain't 
in  no  hurry  to  look  at  the  Injuns.  I  expect  I  shall  see  plenty 
of  them  afore  we  have  done." 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

RESCUED. 

STEVE  RUTHERFORD,  the  settler  Owen,  and  Hugh  made 
their  way  along  at  the  foot  of  the  steep  rocks,  keeping 
among  the  fallen  boulders,  stopping  at  times,  and  making  a 
close  survey  of  the  plains  to  be  sure  that  no  Indians  were 
in  sight,  before  moving  further. 

"That  is  the  point,"  Steve  said  presently;  "from  among 
those  rocks  we  can  get  a  view  of  the  village.  You  must  keep 
your  head  low,  Lightning,  and  not  show  it  above  the  rocks. 
They  will  be  keeping  a  sharp  look-out,  and  like  enough  they 
would  make  out  a  lizard  moving  at  this  distance." 

When  they  reached  the  point  they  made  their  way  with 
extreme  care  to  the  highest  boulders,  and  then,  lying  down, 
looked  through  the  interstices  between  them.  Hugh  started 
as  he  did  so,  for  although  the  Indian  village  was  nearly  half 
a  mile  away,  the  mountain  air  was  so  clear  that  it  did  not  seem 
a  quarter  of  that  distance.  Its  position  was  well  chosen ;  the 
hill  rose  almost  perpendicularly  behind  it,  defending  it  from 
an  attack  on  that  side,  while  in  front  and  on  both  sides  the 
ground  sloped  away  and  was  clear  of  brushwood  or  in- 
equalities that  would  afford  shelter  to  assailants.  Trees  stood 
in  and  around  it,  affording  shade  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
A  number  of  horses  were  grazing  close  to  the  village,  with 
half  a  dozen  Indian  boys  round  them,  in  readiness  to  drive 
them  in  at  the  shortest  notice.  Smoke  was  curling  up  from 
the  top  of  the  wigwams,  and  through  the  trees  many  figures 
of  men  and  women  could  be  seen  moving  about. 


THE   DEATH  WAIL.  225 

"  How  long  do  you  think  it  will  be,  Steve,  before  their 
scouts  get  back  again  ?  " 

"Another  hour,  I  should  guess;  I  expect  they  started  at 
daybreak.  Anyhow,  they  had  gone  before  I  got  here.  I 
reckon  they  wouldn't  travel  fast  going  there ;  in  the  first 
place  they  would  scout  about  and  look  for  signs  of  an  enemy, 
and  in  the  second  they  wouldn't  want  to  blow  their  horses, 
for  they  might  have  to  ride  for  their  lives  any  moment.  I 
should  give  them  four  hours,  a  good  two  and  a  half  to  get  there, 
and  something  over  an  hour  for  one  of  them  to  get  back  again. 
He  may  be  here  in  half  an  hour,  he  may  not  be  here  for  an 
hour ;  it  will  be  somewhere  between  one  and  the  other." 

Twenty  minutes  passed,  and  then  Steve  exclaimed,  "  Here 
he  comes  ! "  The  other  two  caught  sight  of  the  Indian  at  the 
same  moment,  as  first  his  head  and  shoulders,  then  the  whole 
rider  and  horse,  appeared  on  the  crest  of  a  rise  some  four  miles 
away.  He  was  as  yet  invisible  from  the  village,  but  in  a  few 
minutes  they  could  perceive  a  stir  there,  and  three  or  four 
warriors  ran  out  from  the  village,  leaped  on  to  their  horses,  and 
galloped  out  to  meet  the  returning  scout.  They  saw  them  join 
him,  and,  sweeping  round  without  a  check,  accompany  him, 
and  in  ten  minutes  they  reached  the  village.  A  minute  later 
M,  mournful  wail  sounded  in  the  air. 

"They  know  it  now,"  Steve  said;  "they  are  just  about 
beginning  to  feel  as  we  do.  It  is  all  very  well  as  long  as  they 
go  out,  and  murder  and  burn,  and  come  back  with  scalps,  but 
they  don't  like  it  when  the  game  is  played  on  them." 

"When  will  they  start  out  again,  do  you  think,  Steve?" 

"  Not  yet  awhile,  they  are  going  to  talk ;  Indians  never  do 
anything  without  that.  There,  do  you  see,  there  ain't  a  man 
among  the  trees ;  there  are  some  women  and  children,  but  nary 
a  warrior.  You  may  be  sure  that  they  are  gathering  for  a  great 
council ;  first  of  all  the  scout  will  tell  his  story,  then  the  chiefs 
will  talk.  It  will  be  another  hour  at  least  before  there  is  a 
move  made." 

"  Oh,  I  do  hope  our  plan  won't  fail !  "  Hugh  said. 


226  THE  WAR  PARTY  STARTS. 

"  I  don't  think  that  there  is  much  chance  of  it,"  Owen  put 
in.  "  They  are  bound  to  do  something.  Their  scout  can  only 
report  that,  so  far  as  he  saw,  there  was  not  more  than  four 
men,  and  as  they  did  not  chase  him  he  expects  they  have  no 
horses.  They  never  can  leave  it  like  that.  They  are  bound 
to  go  out  and  see  about  it,  otherwise  they  know  they  couldn't 
go  in  twos  or  threes  without  the  risk  of  being  ambushed, 
just  as  the  scouts  were ;  besides,  they  lost  the  two  men  they 
left  behind,  and  maybe  one,  maybe  three,  this  morning,  and 
they  are  bound  to  have  vengeance.  Oh,  they  air  safe  to  go  !  " 

An  hour  later  a  sudden  succession  of  wild  yells  were  heard. 

"Thar's  their  war-cry,"  Steve  said;  "the  thing  is  settled, 
and  they  air  going."  A  few  minutes  later  the  Indian  boys 
were  seen  driving  the  horses  in  towards  the  village,  and  then 
a  number  of  warriors  ran  out. 

"  There  air  a  good  lot  of  them,"  Steve  said,  in  a  tone  of 
satisfaction.  "They  was  sure  to  go,  the  question  wur  how 
many  of  them.  It  will  be  a  strong  party  anyhow." 

The  Indians  were  soon  seen  to  be  mounting.  "  Now  we  can 
count  them,"  Steve  said.  "  Five-and-thirty." 

"  I  couldn't  tell  within  four  or  five,"  Hugh  said ;  "  they  keep 
moving  about  so,  but  I  should  say  that  was  about  it." 

"  Yes,  five-and-thirty,"  Owen  agreed.  "  You  have  the  young- 
est legs,  Lightning,  you  scoot  across  as  hard  as  you  can  run 
and  tell  them  to  get  ready ;  Steve  and  I  will  see  them  fairly 
off,  and  then  we  will  come  in.  Don't  let  them  move  out  of 
the  hollow  till  we  join  you ;  there  ain't  no  special  hurry,  for 
we  mustn't  attack  till  the  band  have  got  four  or  five  miles 
away.  If  they  heard  the  guns  they  would  be  back  agin  like 
a  torrent." 

Hugh  did  as  he  was  told.  As  he  ran  down  over  the  crest 
into  the  dip  he  gave  a  shout  of  satisfaction  at  seeing  Broncho 
Harry  and  the  three  men  who  had  remained  with  him ;  they 
had  arrived  a  few  minutes  before. 

"Well,  Harry,  we  saw  all  had  gone  right,  as  only  one  of 
their  scouts  came  back." 


JIM   GATTLING  WUR  FLURRIED  A   BIT.  22? 

"  Has  it  drawn  them  ?  "  Harry  asked. 

"  Yes ;  a  band  of  five-and-thirty  started  five  minutes  ago." 

"  Bully  for  us  !  "  Harry  said.  "  Then  we  have  got  them  all 
right  now.  I  expect  there  ain't  above  thirty  fighting  men  left 
in  the  village,  and,  catching  them  as  we  shall,  they  won't  have 
a  show  against  us." 

"  How  did  you  get  on,  Harry?  " 

"  It  wur  just  as  you  reckoned,  lad ;  three  of  'em  came  out. 
They  were  very  scarey  about  coming  close ;  they  yelled  to  their 
mates,  and  in  course  got  no  answer ;  then  they  galloped  round, 
one  at  a  time,  getting  nearer  and  nearer,  but  at  last  they  con- 
cluded that  the  place  was  deserted,  and  rode  up.  We  let  them 
get  so  close  that  there  wur  no  fear  of  our  missing,  and  then 
we  shot  two  of  them ;  the  other  rode  for  it.  We  fired  after 
him,  but  took  good  care  not  to  hit  him,  and  as  soon  as  he  had 
gone  we  ran  to  the  wood  where  we  had  left  our  ponies,  and 
came  on  here  pretty  slick.  There  wur  no  difficulty  in  follow- 
ing your  trail;  we  reckoned  that  we  should  have  to  come 
pretty  fast  to  be  here  in  time,  as  it  wur  three  or  four  miles 
further  for  us  to  go  than  the  Injun  would  have,  and  he 
wouldn't  spare  his  horse-flesh.  Still  we  was  sure  it  would  be 
an  hour  at  least  before  they  was  ready  to  start,  more  likely 
two.  Jim  Gattling  wur  flurried  a  bit ;  natural  he  wouldn't 
like  not  to  be  with  the  others  when  they  went  in  to  rescue 
Rosie.  So  it  seems  we  air  just  in  time  with  nothing  to  spare. 
But  here  comes  Steve." 

By  this  time  all  had  been  got  ready  for  a  start.  Horses  had 
been  brought  up,  saddles  looked  to,  girths  tightened,  and 
blankets  strapped  on.  A  hearty  greeting  was  exchanged 
between  Steve  and  the  party  just  arrived. 

"  We  will  give  them  another  ten  minutes  afore  we  start," 
Steve  said.  "  Now,  we  had  better  settle,  Broncho,  as  to  what 
we  should  each  do  when  we  get  in,  else  there  may  be  confusion, 
and  they  may  tomahawk  the  prisoners  before  we  find  them." 

"  Yes,  that  is  best,"  Broncho  agreed.  "  Now,  look  here  ;  our 
crowd  will  do  the  fighting,  and  you  and  your  fellows  jump  off 


228  BRONCHO  HARRY'S  TERMS. 

as  soon  as  you  get  in,  and  search  the  wigwams.  You  will  know 
just  where  to  go;  the  prisoners  are  safe  to  be  in  a  wigwam 
close  by  that  of  the  principal  chief;  he  will  keep  them  close 
under  his  eye,  you  may  bet  your  life.  And  mind,  boys,  let  us 
have  no  shooting  at  squaws  or  kids.  We  have  come  out  to 
rescue  the  women  they  have  carried  off,  and  to  pay  out  the 
men  for  the  work  they  did,  but  don't  let  us  be  as  bad  as 
they  are." 

There  was  a  general  assent  from  the  cow-boys,  but  two  or 
three  of  the  men  who  had  come  with  them  grumbled,  "  They 
have  killed  our  wives  and  children,  why  shouldn't  we  pay 
them  back  in  the  same  coin  ?  " 

"  Because  we  are  whites  and  not  Red-skins,"  Broncho  Harry 
said.  "  Look  here,  Steve ;  we  have  come  here  to  help  you, 
and  we  are  risking  our  lives  pretty  considerable  in  this  busi- 
ness, but  afore  we  ride  into  that  village  we  are  going  to  have 
your  word  that  there  ain't  going  to  be  a  shot  fired  at  squaw  or 
child.  Those  are  our  terms,  and  I  don't  think  they  are  cnrea- 
sonable." 

As  a  chorus  of  approval  went  up  from  the  rest  of  the  cow- 
boys, and  as  the  others  were  weli  aware  that  what  they  said 
they  meant,  they  unwillingly  assented. 

"That  is  right  and  square,"  Broncho  Harry  said.  "You 
have  all  given  your  promise,  and  if  anyone  breaks  it,  I  begin 
shooting,  that  is  all.  Now  it's  about  time  to  be  moving,  Steve." 

The  men  swung  themselves  up  into  their  saddles.  "  Now, 
boys,  quietly  until  we  get  in  sight  of  the  village,  and  then  as 
fast  as  we  can  go." 

But  all  were  eager  for  the  fight,  and  the  pace  gradually 
quickened  till  they  came  within  sight  of  the  village.  Then 
they  charged  down  upon  it  at  full  gallop.  They  had  gone  but 
a  short  distance  when  they  heard  the  cry  of  alarm,  the  yells  of 
the  Indians,  shouts  and  orders,  screams  of  women  and  children, 
and  the  barking  of  the  village  dogs.  Shots  were  fired,  but  to 
Hugh's  surprise  these  ceased  before  the  cow-boys  reached  the 
village. 


A   SURPRISE.  229 

"  The  skunks  are  bolting,"  Broncho  Harry  exclaimed.  "  Keep 
round  the  trees,  No.  2  outfit,  and  straight  across  the  plain 
after  them.  They  may  have  got  some  of  the  girls." 

It  was,  however,  less  than  two  minutes  from  the  moment 
the  assailants  had  been  seen  to  that  when  they  burst  into  the 
village.  The  Indians,  taken  altogether  by  surprise  at  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  foe  from  a  quarter  from  which  no  danger  had 
been  apprehended,  and  seeing  a  band  of  the  dreaded  cow-boys 
dashing  down  at  a  gallop,  caught  up  their  arms,  and  then,  in 
obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  chief  left  behind  in  charge  of  the 
village,  dashed  out  to  their  horses,  mounted,  and  rode  off.  Their 
leader  had  seen  at  once  that  there  was  no  hope  of  resistance. 
The  assailants  were  nearly  equal  in  number  to  the  fighting  men 
left  in  the  village,  they  would  be  armed  with  those  terrible 
pistols  that  were  the  dread  of  the  Indians,  and  they  had  all 
the  advantage  of  a  surprise.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
ride  off  to  the  main  body. 

For  a  moment  the  thought  of  killing  the  prisoners  before 
starting  had  crossed  his  mind,  but  there  was  no  time  to  run  to 
the  wigwam  in  which  they  had  been  placed,  and  he  saw  too 
that  their  death  would  entail  that  of  the  Indian  women  and 
children.  These  had  been  no  less  speedy  in  their  movements 
than  the  men,  and  at  the  first  cry  of  danger  the  women  had 
seized  their  infants  and,  followed  by  the  boys  and  girls  of  the 
village,  had  fled  along  the  foot  of  the  cliff  till  they  reached  a  spot 
where,  although  steep,  it  was  accessible.  Here  a  path,  winding 
among  boulders  and  hidden  by  bushes,  led  up  to  the  top  of 
the  cliff.  This  had  been  constructed  by  the  boys  of  the  village 
at  the  time  the  Indians  first  established  themselves  there,  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  its  occupants  to  make  their  escape  in 
case  of  a  sudden  attack  by  superior  forces. 

Steve  and  his  party  were  astonished  when,  as  they  dashed 
into  the  village,  they  found  the  place  almost  deserted.  A  few 
old  men  stood  at  the  entrances  of  their  wigwams,  and  four  or 
five  aged  women  were  assembled  in  front  of  one  standing  near 
the  centre  of  the  place  ;  and  as  the  cow-boys  and  settlers  galloped 


230  "ALL  SAFE,  FATHER." 

up,  five  white  women  ran  out  from  the  wigwam  to  meet  them^ 
with  cries  of  joy. 

"  All  safe,  Rosie?  "  Steve  Rutherford  shouted  as  he  rode  up. 

"  All  safe,  father ; "  and  a  cheer  burst  from  the  rescuers  as 
they  leapt  from  their  horses  and  crowded  round  the  girls. 
These  had  all  friends  or  relations  among  the  party. 

"  Three  of  you  let  off  your  rifles  one  after  the  other,"  Steve 
said,  the  instant  he  had  embraced  his  daughter.  "  I  told 
Broncho  as  he  rode  off  that  should  be  the  signal  that  we  had 
got  them  all.  Then  some  of  you  had  better  ride  as  hard  as 
you  can  after  them.  You  may  be  wanted,  though  I  don't 
expect  the  Indians  will  stop.  Tell  Broncho  he  had  best  come 
back  again,  there  ain't  no  time  to  lose.  The  rest  of  you  scatter 
and  put  a  light  to  these  wigwams.  There  is  all  the  things  they 
stole  from  us  scattered  among  them,  and  all  their  skins  and 
things,  not  worth  much,  perhaps,  but  a  lot  to  them.  Look  into 
the  huts  and  see  their  ain't  no  babies  left  in  them.  Where 
are  all  the  women  and  children,  Rosie  ?  "  But  Rosie  was  at 
that  moment  much  too  occupied  with  Jim  Gattling  to  hear  him. 

"  Never  mind  that  now,  gal,"  Steve  said,  striding  up  to  them ; 
"  there  will  be  time  enough  for  fooling  when  we  get  out  of 
this.  Whar  are  the  women  and  children?" 

"I  don't  know,  father.  We  know  nothing  about  it.  We 
were  in  the  wigwam  and  suddenly  heard  shouts  and  screams, 
and  then  almost  directly  everything  became  quiet,  and  then 
these  old  women  opened  the  door  and  made  signs  to  us  to  come 
out,  and  as  we  did  we  saw  you  charging  in  among  the  trees." 

"  Where  are  the  squaws  and  children?  "  Steve  asked  one  of 
the  old  women  in  her  own  language.  She  looked  vacantly  at 
him  as  if  she  did  not  understand.  "  Bah  !  that's  no  use,"  he 
said  ;  "  I  might  have  known  that.  Scatter  about,  boys  ;  see  if 
you  can't  find  some  of  them.  They  can't  have  gone  out  on  to 
the  plain,  that  is  sartin.  They  can't  have  got  up  this  cliff — 
not  here.  Perhaps  thar's  a  cave  somewhere.  Scatter  along 
and  sarch.  Go  right  along  some  distance  each  way,  thar  may 
be  some  path  up  somewhere." 


A  MISFORTUNE.  231 

"  What  does  it  matter  about  them,  Steve  ?"  one  of  the  settlers 
asked.  "  We  agreed  there  wurn't  to  be  no  killing  of  squaws 
or  kids." 

"I  don't  want  to  kill  them,"  Steve  said.  "I  am  just  so 
pleased  at  getting  my  girl  and  the  others  back  that  I  don't  feel 
like  hurting  anything ;  what  Broncho  and  me  reckoned  on  was 
to  take  some  of  the  chiefs'  wives  and  children  along  with  us  as 
hostages.  If  we  had  them  with  us  we  reckoned  they  would 
not  attack  us  on  our  way  back.  I  tell  you,  boys,  it  may  just 
make  the  difference  of  our  scalps  to  us." 

Not  another  word  was  needed,  and  all,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  of  the  friends  of  the  rescued  women,  scattered  on  the 
search.  It  was  ten  minutes  before  they  found  the  concealed 
path.  The  man  who  discovered  it  ran  back  to  Rutherford. 
"  I  have  found  the  place,  Steve ;  it  is  away  three  or  four  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  left  there.  Just  at  the  end  of  the  clump  of 
trees  there  are  some  bushes  against  the  face  of  the  hill.  It 
didn't  look  as  if  there  could  be  any  way  up,  but  I  pushed  through 
them,  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  some  steps  cut  in  the  rock. 
I  went  up  them,  and  round  a  sharp  angle  there  was  a  sort  of 
gap  in  the  cliff.  You  couldn't  see  it  from  the  plain,  and  a  path 
went  straight  up  there." 

"  That  air  bad  news,  Owen.  They  have  got  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  start,  and  it  ain't  no  sort  of  use  our  going  after  them. 
Waal,  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  ride  for  it.  I  wish  Broncho's 
party  was  back." 

"  They  air  just  coming  back,"  a  man  said.  "  I  have  been  to 
the  edge  of  the  wood  to  look  after  them.  They  are  galloping 
back,  and  will  be  here  in  a  few  minutes." 

By  the  time  Broncho  Harry  and  his  party  rode  into  the 
village  the  wigwams  were  all  in  flames.  The  men  who  had 
set  fire  to  them  had  brought  out  the  meat  they  had  found 
inside.  There  were  several  quarters  of  deer,  and  a  quantity  of 
beef,  doubtless  the  produce  of  animals  belonging  to  the  herd 
they  had  driven  off.  They  were  satisfied  that  the  burning  of 
the  wigwams  would  be  a  heavy  loss  to  the  Indians,  for  they 


232          "THERE  AIN'T  ANOTHER  MINUTE  TO  WASTE." 

had  found  many  piles  of  skins  and  robes  stored  up  to  be  used 
in  barter  for  guns  and  horses.  Indeed,  the  whole  belongings 
of  the  tribe,  except  their  cattle,  were  destroyed,  together  with, 
what  perhaps  would  be  even  more  severely  felt,  the  scalps 
taken  from  their  enemies  in  many  a  fight  and  massacre.  A 
few  words  acquainted  the  new-comers  with  what  had  taken 
place,  and  they  were  delighted  to  find  that  they  had  arrived 
in  time  to  save  the  women  from  the  fate  that  awaited  them. 

"  Did  you  hear  the  rifle-shots,  Broncho  ?  " 

"  Nary  one.  We  was  having  a  skirmish  with  the  Red- 
skins. They  showed  fight  at  first  till  they  saw  the  rest  of  the 
boys  coming  out.  We  chased  them  two  miles,  and  killed  six 
of  them.  Then  we  thought  it  best  to  come  back,  for  we  could 
see  that  a  couple  of  the  best  mounted  had  been  sent  straight 
off  as  hard  as  they  could  go  after  the  first  lot.  We  should  not 
have  chased  them  as  far  as  we  did,  but  we  wanted  to  rope  five 
of  their  horses  for  the  women.  As  soon  as  we  had  done  that 
we  took  the  back  track.  Have  you  caught  some  of  the  squaws, 
Steve?" 

"  No,  worse  luck,  they  had  all  cleared  out  afore  we  got 
here.  There  was  nary  a  soul  in  the  village  except  these  old 
men  and  women." 

"  But  where  on  earth  did  they  get  to?  " 

"  It  took  us  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  find  out,  and  then  one 
of  the  men  lit  on  it  pretty  nigh  by  accident.  Right  along  the 
cliff  thar  is  some  steps  cut  in  the  rock.  They  are  hidden  by 
bushes,  and  up  above  them  is  a  sort  of  gap  in  the  rock  with  a 
path  up  it.  You  can't  see  it  from  the  plain  at  all.  No  doubt 
that  is  the  principal  reason  why  they  fixed  their  village  here. 
It  gave  them  a  means  of  escape  if  they  were  attacked." 

"  Waal,  if  you  haven't  got  no  hostages,  Steve,  there  ain't 
another  minute  to  waste  here.  You  see  we  had  figured  on 
them  hostages.  I  see  you  have  got  some  meat ;  that  is  good. 
Waal,  are  you  all  ready  ?  because  if  so,  let's  git." 

Three  minutes  later  the  party  rode  away  from  the  burning 
village,  the  women  mounted  on  the  Indian  horses. 


"WE   HAVE   GOT  TO   FIGHT."  233 

"  Thar's  our  cattle,"  Steve  said,  pointing  to  a  herd  out  on 
the  plain,  "  but  it  ain't  any  use  thinking  of  them  now." 

"  You  bet,"  Broncho  Harry  replied.  "  There  ain't  no  thinking 
about  horns  or  hides  at  present.  It  is  our  own  har  we  have 
got  to  think  of." 

"  You  think  they  will  catch  us  up,  Broncho  ?  "  said  Steve. 

"  I  don't  think  nothing  at  all  about  it.  They  are  just  as 
sure  to  catch  us  up  as  the  sun  is  to  rise.  We  have  got  every 
foot  of  a  hundred  miles  to  go,  and  the  horses  have  been  travel- 
ling hard  for  the  last  three  days.  By  this  time  those  fellows 
as  have  galloped  on  ahead  are  pretty  nigh  their  main  party,  if 
they  haven't  overtook  them  before  this.  They  had  no  call  for 
speed,  and  would  be  taking  it  easy.  You  can't  reckon  much 
more  than  ten  miles  start.  Still,  when  they  catch  us  they  won't 
be  more  than  three  to  one. 

"  There  was  thirty-five  went  out,  you  said,  Steve,  and  an- 
other twenty-five  in  the  second  lot.  That  brings  them  up  to 
sixty,  which  is  pretty  nigh  three  to  one. 

"  Well,  three  to  one  ain't  such  great  odds  even  if  they  wur 
to  come  down  and  fight  us  in  a  body ;  but  I  reckon  they  would 
not  do  that.  They  are  more  likely  to  make  a  surround  of  it. 
They  would  know  that  we  should  have  to  leave  pretty  near 
half  our  number  to  guard  the  women,  and  the  rest  wouldn't  be 
strong  enough  to  charge  them.  Besides,  it  ain't  only  sixty  we 
have  got  to  reckon  with.  Like  enough  half  a  dozen  of  them 
started,  as  soon  as  we  turned  back,  to  the  other  villages  of  the 
tribe.  You  may  reckon  we  shall  have  two  or  three  hundred  of 
them  coming  along  in  our  track  in  an  hour  or  two.  Don't 
you  make  any  mistake  about  it,  Steve  ;  we  sha'n't  get  away,  and 
we  have  got  to  fight.  Now,  you  know  the  country,  and  what 
you  have  got  to  reckon  up  is,  where  shall  we  fight?  You  can't 
calkilate  on  above  fifty  miles,  and  if  you  say  forty  it  will  be 
safer.  A  few  of  the  horses  might  get  a  bit  further  than  that, 
but  taking  them  all  round,  and  reckoning  they  have  been  going 
hard  for  the  last  few  days,  forty  is  the  longest  we  can  calkilate 
on  afore  we  hear  the  Red-skin  yells  behind  us." 


234  THE  TWO   BROTHERS. 

"  The  Two  Brothers  are  about  forty  miles  from  here,"  Steve 
Rutherford  said. 

"  Ah  !  I  have  heard  of  them.  They  are  two  buttes  close  to- 
gether, ain't  they  ?  " 

"  Yes.  We  should  be  safe  enough  there  if  all  the  Red-skins 
in  creation  was  attacking  us.  They  might  starve  us  out,  but 
they  could  never  climb  up.  One  of  the  Brothers  there  ain't  no 
climbing  up  at  all.  It  stands  straight  up  all  round,  but  the 
other  has  got  a  track  up.  I  have  seen  cattle  on  the  top." 

"  Do  you  know  the  way  up,  Steve? " 

"  Yes.  I  was  with  a  party  that  came  out  from  the  Canadian 
looking  up  cattle  that  had  strayed.  We  didn't  find  many  of 
the  cattle.  The  Injuns  had  got  them,  you  may  be  sure ;  but 
we  stopped  at  the  foot  of  the  buttes,  and  did  some  hunting  for 
a  day  or  two.  Three  or  four  of  us  climbed  up.  It  ain't  a  road 
you  would  choose  to  drive  a  team  down,  and  I  should  not  have 
thought  that  cattle  would  have  climbed  it  if  I  hadn't  been  told 
they  did  so.  Still  it  is  good  enough  for  us." 

There  was  no  attempt  to  gallop  at  full  speed,  the  horses 
being  kept  at  a  canter,  the  pace  to  which  they  are  most  accus- 
tomed. 

"  There,"  Steve  said,  pointing  to  the  lower  country  ahead  of 
them,  for  they  had  since  starting  been  gradually  descending, 
"  there  are  the  Brothers." 

"  They  don't  look  far  away,"  Hugh,  who  was  riding  beside 
him,  remarked. 

"  I  guess  they  are  near  fifteen  miles,  Lightning." 

"  I  should  have  said  five  if  I  had  been  asked,"  Hugh  said. 

"  I  wish  they  was  only  five.  I  expect  before  we  get  half 
way  to  them  we  shall  hear  the  Injuns  behind  us." 

"  Yes,  Broncho  has  been  telling  me  what  you  think  of  it. 
Well,  there  is  one  thing,  if  we  get  to  those  buttes  first  we  can 
keep  the  whole  tribe  at  bay." 

"Yes,  lad,  as  far  as  fighting  goes;  but  there  is  one  thing 
agin  us." 

"Water?  "Hugh  asked. 


YOU   COULD    NOT  DO   IT.  235 

"  You  have  hit  it.  I  don't  say  as  there  mayn't  be  some 
water  up  there.  I  reckon  there  is,  for  they  told  me  the  cattle 
would  stay  up  there  for  some  time  without  coming  down.  There 
weren't  no  cattle  when  I  was  there,  and  I  didn't  see  no  water, 
but  it  may  be  at  times  there  is  some.  The  top  of  the  place 
seemed  to  me  lowest  in  the  centre — not  a  great  deal,  perhaps 
maybe  not  more  than  three  or  four  feet — and  if  there  is  any 
hole  in  the  middle  there  may  be  water  there.  I  wurn't  thinking 
of  it  at  the  time,  and  didn't  look  for  it.  Maybe  in  the  rains  it 
gets  filled  up,  and  there  is  enough  to  last  the  cattle  some  time. 
Everything  depends  on  that." 

"  I  have  been  thinking,"  Hugh  said,  "  that  if  I  were  to  ride 
straight  on  I  might  get  through  to  the  next  ranche.  My  horse 
is  a  first-rate  one,  and  I  am  sure  he  could  do  the  distance." 

"  If  he  had  started  after  a  couple  of  days'  rest  he  could  carry 
you  a  hundred  miles,  I  don't  doubt.  There  ain't  nothing  out  of 
the  way  in  that.  I  have  ridden  as  much  a  score  of  times ;  but 
you  see,  lad,  he  has  not  had  much  rest  and  not  much  time  to 
eat  since  we  started.  You  rode  him  out  from  your  camp  and 
then  on  to  the  first  halting  place ;  that  made  eighty  or  ninety 
mile.  Next  day  we  made  sixty,  I  reckon.  Then  he  was  going 
all  yesterday  till  we  halted  before  we  went  up  through  the  pass, 
and  he  kept  on  going  till  a  good  bit  past  midnight.  We  may 
not  have  done  more  than  fifty  or  sixty  mile,  but  he  got  no  feed- 
ing till  we  got  into  that  dip  about  two  o'clock  this  morning. 

"  If  you  only  had  the  horses  after  you  that  the  Indians  rode 
down  to  Gainsford  I  should  say  your  horse  would  carry  you  as 
well  as  theirs  would ;  but  it  won't  be  so.  You  bet  your  life, 
that  mob  we  saw  outside  the  village  was  a  fresh  one.  The  fust 
thing  they  would  do  when  they  got  to  camp  in  the  afternoon 
would  be  to  send  some  of  the  lads  off  to  the  grazing  grounds 
with  the  horses  they  had  ridden,  and  to  fetch  in  a  fresh  lot. 
Besides  that,  as  I  told  you,  there  will  be  others  of  the  tribe 
coming  up  and  jining  in  the  chase.  Scores  of  them.  They 
will  all  be  on  fresh  mounts,  and  they  will  be  just  on  the  best 
ponies  they  have  got,  for  they  will  guess  that  we  are  heading 


236  THE   PURSUERS   IN  VIEW. 

for  the  Canadian.  No,  no,  lad ;  it'll  never  do.  They  would 
ride  you  down  sartin. 

"  Another  thing  is,  whoever  goes  has  got  to  know  every  foot  of 
the  country,  to  travel  at  night,  and  to  be  able  to  find  his  way  to 
the  nearest  ranche.  That  job  will  be  mine,  I  reckon.  I  know 
more  of  the  Injun  ways  than  anyone  here,  and  if  anyone  can 
do  the  job  I  can.  Besides,  it  is  my  place.  You  have  all  gone 
into  this  affair  to  get  my  Rosie  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Red- 
skins, and  it  is  my  duty  to  get  you  out  of  the  scrape.  Listen  !  " 

The  whole  party  checked  their  horses  simultaneously  as  the 
air  brought  to  their  ears  a  long,  quavering  yell,  and  looking 
back  they  saw  against  the  distant  sky-line  a  confused  body  of 
horsemen. 

"Two  miles  good,  ain't  it,  Broncho?" 

"  About  that,  I  should  say,  Steve  ;  and  we  have  got  twelve 
to  ride.  Now,  then,  let  the  ponies  know  they  have  got  to  do 
some  work." 

The  shouts  of  the  riders,  the  tightening  of  the  reins,  and  a 
touch  of  the  spur  told  the  horses  what  was  required  of  them, 
and  they  sped  along  at  a  very  different  pace  to  that  at  which 
they  had  hitherto  travelled. 

"  We  are  all  right,  I  think,"  Long  Tom  said  to  Hugh.  "  They 
have  been  riding  a  good  deal  faster  than  we  have,  and  I  don't 
think  they  will  gain  on  us  now — not  anything  to  speak  of.  We 
shall  be  at  the  buttes  long  before  they  catch  us,  though  you  see 
when  one  party  is  chasing  another  they  have  got  a  great  ad- 
vantage'." 

"How  do  you  mean,  Tom?  I  don't  see  what  advantage 
they  have." 

"  They  have  this  advantage,  Lightning.  All  horses  ain't  the 
same.  Some  can  go  a  lot  faster  than  others.  Some  can  keep 
on  ever  so  much  longer  than  others.  There  are  some  good  and 
some  bad." 

"  Of  course  there  are,  Tom,  but  that  is  the  same  with  both 
parties." 

"  Sartin  it  is,  lad,  but  you  see  the  party  that  is  chasing  go  at 


"THAT  is  WHAT  i  AM  THINKING  ABOUT."  237 

the  speed  of  their  fastest  horses ;  waal,  not  of  their  fastest, 
but  the  speed  that  the  most  of  them  can  keep  up.  Those  who 
are  badly  mounted  drop  in  the  rear  and  are  left  behind ;  the 
others  don't  consarn  themselves  about  them.  Now,  it  is  just  the 
contrairy  with  the  party  that  is  chased.  They  have  got  to  go  at 
the  pace  of  the  slowest  horse  among  them.  They  can't  leave 
one  or  two  of  their  mates  to  the  marcy  of  the  Red-skins :  they 
have  got  to  keep  together  and  to  fight  together,  and,  if  must 
be,  to  die  together.  There  is  a  lot  of  difference  among  the 
horses  in  this  crowd.  We  just  took  what  we  could  git  when 
we  started  ;  thar  wurn't  no  picking  and  choosing.  Thar  wur  one 
apiece  for  us  good  or  bad.  The  pace  we  are  going  ain't  nothing 
to  that  horse  of  yours,  but  you'll  soon  see  that  some  of  the 
others  can't  keep  it  up,  and  then  we  shall  have  to  slow  down 
to  their  pace." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that,  Tom.  Yes,  I  see,  a  party  that  pur- 
sues has  an  immense  advantage  over  one  that  flies,  providing, 
of  course,  they  are  greatly  superior  in  numbers.  If  not,  there 
will  be  a  time  when  the  best  mounted  men  could  no  longer  ride 
at  full  speed,  because  if  they  did  they  would  be  inferior  in 
numbers  to  those  they  chased  when  they  came  up  to  them." 

"  That  is  reasonable,  lad,  and  if  those  Red-skins  behind  us  are 
only  the  lot  from  the  village,  that  will  bring  them  up  a  bit.  They 
know  well  enough  they  can't  lick  us,  if  they  ain't  pretty  nigh 
three  to  one,  and  so  they  will  want  their  whole  crowd  up,  and 
they  won't  be  able  to  travel  at  the  speed  of  their  best  horses. 
That  is  why  I  said  that  we  shall  beat  them  easy.  It  ain't 
really  them,  it  is  the  bands  from  the  other  villages  that  we  have 
got  to  fear.  I  don't  know  this  kintry,  and  I  don't  know  where 
the  other  villages  are  ;  but  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  any  moment 
to  see  bands  cutting  in  from  the  right  or  left.  Some  of  the  In- 
juns would  ride  straight  off  there,  and  they  will  have  heard 
the  news  as  soon  or  sooner  than  the  band  that  went  after  us 
to  the  rocks.  They  will  guess  the  line  we  should  take,  and  will 
all  be  on  fresh  horses.  That  is  what  I  am  thinking  of  all  the 
time." 


238  "NOW  YOU  HAVE  GOT  TO  RIDE  FOR  IT." 

"  I  suppose  Steve  knows  ?  "  Hugh  said. 

"  He  knows.  He  ain't  said  much,  but  he  dropt  behind  an 
hour  ago,  and  said  to  me,  '  Keep  a  sharp  look-out  on  both  sides, 
Tom  ;  that  is  where  the  danger  comes  in. '  " 

For  the  next  five  miles  the  pursuers  did  not  appear  to  gain. 

"  Can't  we  take  it  easy,  Steve  ?  "  Jim  Gattling  asked.  "  Some 
of  the  horses  are  beginning  to  blow  a  bit.  There  ain't  more 
than  seven  miles  now  between  us  and  the  buttes.  We  might 
let  them  walk  for  five  minutes  now  to  get  their  wind  again." 

Steve  turned  in  his  saddle  and  looked  round  at  the  horses. 
Wiry  little  animals  as  they  were,  many  of  them  were  showing 
signs  of  distress. 

"We  will  go  a  little  bit  easier,"  he  said,  "just  a  little.  When 
we  get  to  that  brow  a  mile  ahead  we  shall  get  a  better  view. 
Then  we  will  see  about  it." 

The  horses  were  pulled  in  a  little,  but  still  kept  at  a  gallop 
until  they  got  to  the  top  of  the  ascent.  From  this  point  there 
was  a  smooth  and  regular  fall  right  down  to  the  valley  from 
which  rose  the  buttes  six  miles  away. 

"  Now  you  have  got  to  ride  for  it,  and  no  mistake,"  Steve  said 
sharply.  "  There  they  come  both  ways.  That  is  just  what  I 
was  afeard  of." 

An  exclamation  of  something  like  dismay  broke  from  many 
of  the  men,  for  two  bands  of  Indians  were  seen,  one  on  each 
hand,  riding,  like  themselves,  for  the  buttes.  The  one  to  the 
left  was  perhaps  a  mile  away,  but  considerably  in  advance  of 
them.  That  on  the  right  was  perhaps  twice  as  far,  and  was, 
like  themselves,  just  beginning  to  descend  the  long  incline. 

"  We  shall  pass  the  crowd  to  the  right,"  Broncho  Harry  said, 
"  but  the  others  will  cut  us  off,  sure." 

"That  is  so,  Harry,"  Steve  said  quietly.  "But  there  is  one 
thing,  there  ain't  above  forty  or  fifty  of  them,  while  that  crowd 
to  the  right  are  twice  as  strong.  If  they  had  been  first,  it  would 
have  been  all  over  with  us.  Well,  don't  travel  too  fast,  lads. 
We  can't  pass  ahead  of  that  lot  to  the  left,  but  there  is  no 
fear  of  the  crowd  to  the  right.  Just  go  at  the  pace  we  are 


THE  PLAN  OF  ATTACK.  239 

going  now.  Look  here,  what  has  got  to  be  done  is  this :  we 
have  got  to  keep  together  with  the  women  in  the  middle  of  us. 
We  have  got  to  go  right  through  them.  Now  nine  of  you  have 
got  rifles,  you  keep  next  to  the  gals.  The  moment  we  have 
got  through  the  Injuns,  you  ride  with  them  straight  on  to  the 
foot  of  the  butte.  I  must  go  with  you,  because  I  know  just 
where  the  path  starts,  and  no  one  else  does.  The  moment  you 
get  there  you  jump  off  the  ponies,  take  post  among  the  rocks, 
and  open  fire  on  the  Injuns.  You,  Broncho,  with  the  rest  of 
them,  directly  we  are  through,  you  turn  again  and  charge  them. 
Just  check  them  for  about  a  minute,  that  will  be  enough ;  then 
you  ride  in  and  we  will  cover  you  with  our  rifles." 

"That  is  about  it,"  Harry  replied.  "Now,  boys,  you  all 
hear.  You  with  the  rifles  go  straight  on.  And  look  here, 
empty  your  six-shooters  into  them  as  you  charge — the  more 
you  wipe  out  the  better.  Then  the  rest  of  you  with  me  just 
give  a  yell  to  scare  them,  and  then  close  with  them  again. 
Don't  you  empty  your  six-shooters  at  first,  but  keep  your  fire 
till  we  are  through  them ;  it  is  mighty  hard  if  the  others,  with 
six  shots  apiece,  don't  clear  the  way  for  us.  You  must  bear 
in  mind  that  you  will  want  every  shot  after  we  are  through, 
so  don't  throw  away  one.  Don't  you  bother  about  the  ad- 
vance crowd  with  the  women.  I  will  keep  my  eye  on  them, 
and  when  I  see  they  are  ready  I  will  give  a  yell,  and  then 
we  will  ride  for  it  together." 

The  Indians  saw  that  they  had  it  in  their  power  to  cut  off 
the  whites  from  the  buttes,  and  they  no  longer  rode  at  the  head- 
long speed  at  which  they  were  going  when  first  perceived,  but 
slackened  down  their  pace.  They  could,  if  they  had  chosen, 
have  brought  on  the  fight  at  some  distance  from  the  buttes,  but 
they  had  no  motive  for  doing  so.  They  saw  the  large  party 
coming  from  the  other  side,  and  preferred  to  delay  the  contest 
till  the  last  moment  in  order  that  their  friends  should  be  near 
at  hand.  Steve  remarked  with  satisfaction  that  they  did  not 
attempt  to  outride  his  party. 

"  The  fools,"  he  said  to  Broncho  Harry, "  they  won't  be  there 


240  A   CHARGE. 

above  a  hundred  yards  before  us,  and  won't  get  above  one  shot 
each  before  we  are  on  them.  If  they  had  known  their  business 
they  would  have  ridden  fit  to  kill  their  horses  till  they  got 
there,  and  then  jumped  off  and  run  up  that  path  and  held  it. 
We  should  have  lost  half  our  number  at  least  fighting  our  way 
up.  In  fact,  with  the  women  with  us,  we  couldn't  have  done  it." 

Scarce  another  word  was  spoken  as  the  party  galloped  on. 
Mile  after  mile  had  been  passed,  and  the  buttes  were  now 
towering  up  in  front  of  them.  When  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
foot  the  riders  gradually  fell  in  to  the  places  assigned  to  them. 
Those  with  rifles  went  in  front,  then  the  women,  then  the  men 
with  revolvers  only.  The  small  party  of  Indians  kept  on  until 
within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  the  foot  of  the  buttes,  then 
they  halted  and  turned.  The  whites  were  at  the  moment  some 
two  hundred  yards  behind  them.  The  great  party  of  Indians 
on  the  right  were  about  half  a  mile  away.  The  Indians  in  front 
did  not  await  the  shock  of  the  whites,  knowing  that  the  impetus 
of  the  latter  would  give  them  an  advantage,  but  raising  their 
war-cry  dashed  forward  to  meet  them,  discharging  their  rifles 
as  they  came. 

Not  a  shot  was  fired  by  the  whites  until  the  two  lines  were 
within  twenty  paces  of  each  other,  then  the  revolvers  of  the 
ten  men  in  front  cracked  out  sharply.  Several  of  the  Indians 
fell.  Then  there  was  a  crash  as  the  lines  met,  and  then  for  a 
moment  a  confused  medley — the  Indians  fighting  with  toma- 
hawk and  spear,  the  whites  with  their  deadly  revolvers.  The 
conditions  were  too  unequal.  There  was  not  one  among  the 
band  of  whites  who  could  not  rely  with  certainty  upon  his  aim, 
and  as  in  a  close  line,  boot  touching  boot,  they  pressed  on,  the 
Indians  melted  like  snow  before  them.  It  seemed  to  Hugh  but 
a  moment  from  the  time  the  fight  began  till  the  path  before 
them  to  the  buttes  was  open. 

"  Forward  !  "  shouted  Steve.    "  We  are  through  them,  boys." 

As  Hugh  dashed  on  he  heard  Broncho  Harry's  shout,  the 
cracking  of  the  revolvers,  and  the  yell  of  the  Indians.  The 
women  were  riding  abreast  with  them  now. 


THE  GOAL  IS  GAINED.  241 

"Never  mind  the  gals,"  Steve  shouted.  "All  tumble  off 
together." 

It  was  but  a  few  seconds  before  the  first  band  threw  them- 
selves from  their  horses  and  took  up  their  post  behind  boulders 
and  bushes.  As  they  dismounted  Steve  gave  a  loud  shout,  and 
almost  at  the  same  moment  the  party  that  had  fought  under 
the  leadership  of  Broncho  Harry  wheeled  round  and  rode 
towards  them.  Had  there  been  only  the  Indians  that  had 
tried  to  bar  their  way  to  reckon  with,  there  would  have  been 
no  need  for  them  to  seek  refuge  at  the  buttes.  Half  their  num- 
ber had  fallen  under  the  bullets  of  the  front  line  of  the  whites 
as  they  fell  upon  them.  The  charge  of  Broncho  Harry's 
detachment  had  completed  the  effect  of  the  blow.  The  whole 
conflict  had  only  lasted  half  a  minute,  but  in  that  time  the 
deadly  six-shooters  had  wrought  terrible  havoc  with  the  band 
of  Indians.  Less  than  half  of  them  went  galloping  back  to 
meet  their  advancing  friends,  and  several  of  these  were  leaning 
over  their  saddles  evidently  badly  wounded.  Over  twenty  lay 
together  at  the  spot  where  the  two  parties  had  met.  A  few 
of  the  horses  stood  quietly  beside  their  dead  owners,  the  rest 
were  careering  wildly  over  the  plain.  A  loud  cheer  broke 
from  both  parties  of  the  whites  as  Broncho  Harry's  band  rode 
in  and  dismounted. 

"That  has  been  a  pretty  tight  race,"  Long  Tom  said,  "but 
we  beat  them  handsome." 

"  Tom,  do  you  all  stow  away  your  horses  and  ours  as  snug 
as  you  can  among  the  rocks  and  trees,  then  take  your  places 
down  here.  We  will  get  a  bit  higher  up  so  as  to  get  a 
wider  range  for  our  rifles,  but  we  haven't  time  for  that  now, 
we  must  just  give  this  other  crowd  a  hint  that  we  have  got 
rifles  and  can  use  them.  Now,  boys,  take  steady  aim  at  that 
clump  of  Red-skins.  Don't  throw  away  a  shot.  There  is  nothing 
like  straight  shooting  for  skeering  a  Red.  Here  goes ; "  and 
Steve,  taking  a  steady  aim,  fired,  while  his  companions  followed 
his  example. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

SURROUNDED    BY   RED-SKINS. 

THE  large  band  of  Indians  had  checked  their  horses  some 
five  hundred  yards  from  the  foot  of  the  buttes  as  they 
saw  the  survivors  of  the  party  in  front  galloping  back  to 
them,  and  realized  that  the  whites  had  gained  shelter.  Some  of 
the  more  impetuous  spirits  had,  however,  ridden  on,  and  were 
some  distance  in  advance  when  the  rifles  of  the  defenders 
cracked  out.  Four  of  the  Indians  fell  from  their  horses,  three 
others  were  wounded,  and  these,  with  their  companions,  wheeled 
round  and  rejoined  the  main  body,  who  now,  at  the  order  of 
their  chief,  fell  back,  and  were,  a  few  minutes  later,  reinforced 
by  the  band  that  had  followed  on  the  footsteps  of  the  fugitives. 

"  Now,  boys,  we  can  go  up  to  the  top,  but  first  let  us  see 
how  we  stand.  Has  any  gone  down?  " 

"  Yes,  there  are  two  missing,"  Long  Tom  said.  "  I  saw  two 
of  the  first  line  go  down  as  we  charged  them." 

"John  Spencer  wur  killed,"  Jim  Gattling  said.  "He  wur 
riding  next  to  me." 

"  Boston  wur  the  other,"  Broncho  Harry  said.  "  I  wur  riding 
in  a  line  with  him  behind,  and  saw  him  go  back  ker-plumb.  I 
knew  he  wur  hit  through  the  head  by  the  way  he  fell." 

Four  other  men  were,  it  was  now  found,  wounded,  and  one 
of  the  women  had  been  hit  in  the  shoulder  with  a  rifle  ball. 

"  The  Red-skins  ain't  no  account  with  their  rifles  on  horse- 
back," Long  Tom  said.  "  Let  them  lie  down  and  get  their 
piece  on  a  log  and  they  can  shoot  pretty  straight,  but  it's  just 
throwing  away  lead  to  try  to  shoot  with  a  rifle  from  a  horse. 


243 

I  never  knew  more  than  two  or  three  whites  who  was  anyway 
sartin  with  their  pieces  when  their  horses  was  on  the  move. 
A  six-shooter's  worth  ten  rifles  on  horseback.  A  fellow  kin 
gallop  and  keep  his  arm  straight,  but  when  it  comes  to  holding 
out  a  long  tube  with  both  arms,  and  your  pony  going  on 
the  jump,  it  stands  to  reason  there  ain't  no  keeping  the  thing 
straight.  If  those  Red-skins  had  hurried  up  and  dismounted, 
and  steadied  their  rifles  on  their  saddles,  I  reckon  they  might 
have  wiped  out  half  of  us  before  we  reached  them.  Waal,  Steve, 
you  and  the  women,  and  best  part  of  the  others,  may  as  well 
get  up  to  the  top ;  but  Broncho  and  me,  and  two  or  three  of  the 
boys,  will  stop  down  here  and  look  after  the  horses.  Lightning, 
you  may  as  well  stop  down  here  with  a  kipple  of  other  fellows 
with  rifles,  so  as  just  to  give  them  a  hint  to  keep  at  a  distance, 
otherwise  they  will  be  sending  their  lead  up  while  the  others 
are  getting  to  the  top." 

But  the  Indians  showed  no  signs  of  any  intention  of  harassing 
them  for  the  present.  They  knew  that  the  rifles  in  the  hands 
of  the  defenders  carried  farther  and  straighter  than  their  own. 
They  had  suffered  heavy  losses  already,  and  were  in  no  way 
disposed  to  do  anything  rash.  They  knew  that  there  was  no 
occasion  for  haste,  and  no  fear  of  the  fugitives  attempting  to 
make  their  escape.  After  some  consultation  they  drew  further 
off  into  the  plain,  and  in  a  short  time  smoke  could  be  seen 
ascending  at  several  points. 

"There  ain't  no  occasion  to  wait  down  here  no  longer,'1 
Long  Tom  said.  "  The  Injuns  know  well  enough  that  they 
can't  take  this  place,  not  at  least  without  losing  a  hundred 
men ;  and  it  ain't  Red-skin  fashion  to  throw  away  lives,  special 
when  they  know  they  have  only  got  to  wait  to  do  the  job  with- 
out any  fighting  at  all.  So  let  us  go  up." 

The  path  was  comparatively  easy  for  three-quarters  of  the 
way  to  the  summit  of  the  buttes.  It  seemed  that  on  this  side 
either  the  rock  had  crumbled  away  in  past  ages  so  as  to  make 
a  gradual  slope,  or  else  water  or  wind  had  thrown  up  a  bank 
against  it.  The  height  of  the  butte  above  the  broad  valley 


244  ON  THE    BUTTE. 

would  be  about  three  hundred  feet,  and  the  slope  was  covered 
with  trees  and  undergrowth,  until  it  terminated  abruptly  at 
the  face  of  a  wall  of  rock  fifty  feet  from  the  summit.  At  one 
point  only  this  wall  was  broken  by  a  sort  of  gap  or  cleft  some 
three  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  slanting  as  steeply  as  the 
roof  of  a  house.  The  bottom  was  worn  almost  smooth  by  the 
rains  of  centuries  and  by  the  feet  of  cattle,  and  Hugh  had  to 
sling  his  gun  behind  him  and  use  both  hands  to  grasp  the  ir- 
regularities of  the  rock  on  either  side  to  get  up.  On  reaching 
the  top  he  found  that  the  summit  was  almost  flat,  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards  in  length,  and  as  many  feet  in  width.  It  was 
covered  with  grass,  and  several  trees,  some  of  considerable  size, 
were  scattered  about  over  the  surface. 

"Well,  Bill,"  he  said  as  Royce  came  up  to  him,  "  have  you 
found  any  water?  " 

"Yes,  there  is  a  rock  pool  in  the  centre  there  by  that  big 
tree.  There  is  water  enough  for  us  and  the  horses  for  maybe 
a  week.  Enough  for  us  without  the  horses  for  a  month  or 
more." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?     Bring  the  horses  up  here  ?  " 

"  We  haven't  settled  that  yet.  I  reckon  we  shall  bring  the 
best  of  them  up  anyhow." 

"  I  suppose  there  is  no  possible  place  the  Indians  can  get  up 
except  by  that  gap  ?  " 

"  Nary  one,  everywhere  else  the  rock  goes  straight  down  to 
the  plain.  There  ain't  no  way,  except  by  flying,  to  get  up  here 
if  you  don't  come  by  this  gap.  Anyhow  we  shall  bring  the 
horses  a  good  long  way  up  the  slope ;  it  is  a  long  line  along  the 
bottom  there,  and  the  Red-skins  might  crawl  up  in  the  night, 
and  we  should  pretty  nigh  all  have  to  keep  guard.  Steve  says 
that  though  where  we  came  up  the  ground  wur  smooth  enough, 
it  ain't  so  over  the  rest  of  the  slope,  but  that,  what  with  the 
boulders  and  the  undergrowth  and  thorns,  it  is  pretty  nigh 
impossible  to  get  up  through  the  trees  anywhere  else.  He 
expects  that  it's  been  water  washing  down  the  earth  and  sand 
through  that  gap  that  has  filled  up  between  the  boulders, 


"THAT'S  WHERE  YOU  ARE  WRONG."  245 

and  made  it  smooth  going  where  we  came  up.  So  we  will 
bring  up  the  horses,  and  get  the  best  of  them  up  here,  and 
tie  the  others  just  below  the  gap.  We  can  take  them  down 
water  in  our  hats  if  we  decide  to  keep  them,  or  get  them  up 
to-morrow  if  we  like.  Anyhow  all  we  shall  want  will  be  to 
keep  four  men  at  watch  down  below  them." 

"  I  should  have  thought  it  best  to  bring  them  all  up  at  once, 
Bill ;  what  is  the  use  of  leaving  them  below?" 

"  Waal,  Hugh,  there  ain't  grass  enough  to  bring  them  all 
up  here,  and  every  morning  we  can  take  them  down  and  let 
them  graze  below.  There  air  no  fear  of  the  Injuns  coming 
close  to  drive  them  off,  and  if  they  tried  it,  the  critturs  would 
come  up  the  path  again  of  their  own  accord,  except  those  we 
took  from  the  Indians.  They  can  get  a  good  lot  of  sweet  grass 
under  the  trees  down  thar,  and  as  long  as  they  get  that  they 
can  do  pretty  well  without  water.  Thar,  do  you  see  thar  are 
two  or  three  more  lots  of  Indians  coming  down  to  join  the 
others.  They'll  have  three  hundred  of  them  down  thar  before 
long." 

"  It  don't  make  much  difference  how  many  of  them  there  are, 
if  they  dare  not  attack  us,"  Hugh  said. 

"  That's  where  you  are  wrong,  Hugh,"  Broncho  Harry,  who 
had  now  joined  them,  said.  "  The  more  thar  are  of  them  the 
closer  watch  they  can  keep  to  see  that  none  of  us  gets  away, 
and  the  more  thar  are  of  them  the  bigger  the  party  must  be 
that  comes  to  rescue  us.  You  may  be  sure  that  they  have 
scouts  for  miles  and  miles  off,  and  if  they  get  news  that  there 
is  a  party  coming  up,  they  will  just  leave  a  guard  to  keep  us 
here,  and  go  down  and  fall  on  them." 

"  I  didn't  think  of  that,  Harry.  Yes,  it  will  need  a  very 
strong  party  to  bring  us  off.  But  perhaps  they  will  get  tired 
and  go." 

"  Don't  you  bet  on  that,  Hugh.  Ef  thar  air  one  thing  an 
Injun  never  gets  tired  of,  it's  waiting.  Time  ain't  nothing  to 
them.  Them  chaps  can  send  out  parties  to  hunt  just  as  if  they 
wur  in  their  own  villages.  The  boys  will  bring  them  down  corn, 


246  A  NATURAL   FORTRESS. 

and  gather  their  firewood  for  them,  and  as  long  as  we  are  up 
here,  they  will  stop  down  thar,  if  it  was  six  months.  They 
know  how  many  of  us  thar  are  here.  Lots  of  them  must 
have  been  up  here  at  one  time  or  another,  and  knowing  the 
time  of  year,  and  how  much  rain  has  fallen  lately,  there  ain't  no 
doubt  they  can  calkilate  pretty  well  how  much  water  there  is 
in  this  pool.  They  will  know  that  we  shall  keep  our  horses 
as  long  as  we  can,  and  they  will  reckon  that  three  weeks  at 
the  outside  will  see  the  end  of  the  water.  As  for  food,  of  course, 
we  are  all  right.  We  have  got  the  horses  to  eat,  and  horse 
is  pretty  nigh  as  good  as  cow-beef.  I  would  just  as  soon  have 
one  as  the  other.  A  young  broncho's  a  sight  tenderer  than  an 
old  cow  any  day." 

Hugh  now  took  a  turn  round  the  edge  of  the  butte.  It  was, 
as  Royce  had  said,  a  mass  of  rock  rising  perpendicularly  from 
the  plain.  It  was  separated  from  the  other  butte  by  a  gap  a 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  wide.  It  was  clear  that  they  had  once 
formed  one  mass,  for  between  them  was  a  rocky  shoulder  con^ 
necting  them.  This  was  very  steep  on  both  sides,  narrowing 
almost  to  a  razor  edge  at  the  top,  where  it  joined  the  butte 
on  which  they  were  standing.  This  edge  was  fifty  feet  below 
the  top,  but  it  rose  as  it  retreated  from  it,  and  on  the  opposite 
side  reached  up  to  a  level  with  the  plateau. 

A  fire  had  already  been  lighted  on  the  top  of  the  butte,  and 
over  this  the  women  were  cooking  some  of  the  meat  they  had 
brought  from  the  Indian  village,  and  in  a  short  time  the  whole 
party  except  two,  who  were  placed  on  sentry  to  watch  the 
movements  of  the  Indians,  gathered  round  it. 

"  Waal,  boys,"  Steve  said  when  the  meal  was  finished,  "  I 
reckon  that  thar  ain't  no  time  to  lose,  and  that  I  had  best 
start  to-night.  There  ain't  no  denying  that  we  air  in  a  pretty 
tight  fix  here,  and  it  won't  be  easy  to  get  a  force  as  can  fight 
their  way  '"  rough  that  crowd.  I  reckon  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  gather  c^er  fifty  cow-boys  on  the  Canadian,  and  so  I'll  have 
to  ride  to  the  nearest  fort  and  get  the  troops  to  help.  That  air 
about  two  hundred  miles  from  the  Canadian.  It  ull  take  me 


"YOU  ARE  RIGHT  AGAIN,   LIGHTNING."  247 

three  days  to  get  there  after  I  leave  the  ranches.  It  ull  take 
four  at  the  very  least  before  the  troops  will  get  down  there. 
You  can't  reckon  less  than  a  week.  I  shall  be  two  days  getting 
down  to  the  ranches,  as  there  won't  be  any  travelling  by  day. 
So  you  see  if  I  start  to-night,  you  can't  reckon  on  seeing  us 
back  afore  ten  days  at  the  earliest." 

"  That  will  be  about  it,  Steve.  I  don't  see  as  you  can  do 
without  the  troops  noway.  Waal,  we  can  hold  out  a  fortnight 
easy.  We  must  put  the  horses  on  mighty  short  allowance  of 
water,  so  as  to  make  it  last  a  fortnight. .  If  we  find  it  running 
out  quicker'n  we  expect,  we  must  kill  off  half  the  animals. 
It  don't  matter  about  them  a  bit,  ef  you  come  up  strong 
enough  to  thrash  the  Red-skins  without  our  help.  Yes,  I  think 
you  had  better  go  to-night.  You  are  as  likely  to  get  out  to-night 
as  any  night,  but  you'll  have  to  look  mighty  sharp,  Steve,  for 
you  may  bet  your  life  them  Injuns  will  be  as  thick  as  bees  round 
the  butte." 

" How  do  you  mean  to  go,  Steve? "  Hugh  asked. 

"Tie  the  ropes  together,  Lightning,  and  get  lowered  down 
/>ver  the  edge." 

"  I  have  been  looking  at  the  ridge  that  runs  from  this  butte 
to  the  other,"  Hugh  said,  "  and  it  struck  me  that  if  you  were 
lowered  down  on  to  it  you  might  get  along  on  to  the  other  butte. 
Of  course  two  others  would  be  lowered  with  you,  and  then 
you  could  be  let  down  from  the  farthest  side  of  the  other  butte. 
Vou  said  nobody  had  ever  been  on  it,  and  anyhow  the  Indians 
are  not  likely  to  be  as  thick  over  there  as  they  would  be  round 
this  one." 

"  Thunder  !  You  are  right  again,  Lightning.  I  will  go  and 
have  a  look  at  it  at  once.  It  will  soon  be  getting  dark ;  Bron- 
cho, do  you  and  Long  Tom  go  along  with  me.  We  will  lie 
down  afore  we  get  to  the  edge.  You  may  be  sure  that  there 
are  plenty  of  sharp  eyes  watching  all  round,  and  if  they  was 
to  see  us  standing  there,  and  looking  at  that  ledge  of  rock, 
they  might  guess  what  we  had  in  our  minds.  While  we  are 
away,  the  rest  of  you  might  go  down  and  get  up  the  ponies." 


248  THE    ORDER    OF    GOING. 

It  took  some  time  to  lead  all  the  horses  up  the  slope.  Prince 
and  four  others  were  brought  up  to  the  plateau,  but  it  was 
necessary  to  tie  strips  of  blanket  under  their  feet  to  enable 
them  to  get  sufficient  footing  to  climb  up  through  the  gap. 

"  I  shouldn't  have  thought  that  cattle  could  have  come  where 
horses  can't,"  Hugh  said. 

"  Cattle  can  climb  pretty  nigh  anywhere,"  the  cow-boy  he 
addressed  replied.  "  I  have  seen  cattle  climb  places  where 
you  would  have  thought  that  nothing  but  a  goat  could  get  to. 
You  see  their  hoofs  are  softer  than  horses,  and  get  a  better 
hold  on  rocks.  But  horses  could  get  up  here  easy  enough  if 
they  weren't  shod.  They  don't  have  a  fair  show  with  shoes  on." 

By  the  time  the  horses  had  been  brought  up,  night  had  fallen. 
Four  men  were  told  off  as  a  guard ;  two  of  them  took  up  their 
post  half-way  down  the  slope  ;  two  went  down  to  its  foot.  No 
attack  was  anticipated,  for  the  Indians  would  be  sure  that  a 
sharp  watch  would  be  kept,  and  there  would  be  no  chance  what- 
ever of  their  making  their  way  up  to  the  summit  unobserved. 
Hugh  was  not  with  the  first  party  on  watch,  and  joined  the 
crowd  round  the  fire. 

"What  time  are  you  going  to  start,  Steve?" 

"As  soon  as  it  gets  quite  dark.  Thar  ain't  no  good  in 
waiting.  They  air  on  watch  now,  and  they  will  be  on  watch 
all  night,  so  thar  is  no  difference  that  way,  and  the  sooner 
I  goes,  the  farther  I  will  git  afore  morning.  It  is  settled 
that  if  I  am  caught  to-night,  Jim  Gattling  will  try  next ;  ef  he 
goes  down  too,  Broncho  Harry  will  try.  After  that  you  can 
settle  among  yourselves." 

"  I  will  volunteer  to  be  next,"  Hugh  said.  "  Another  couple 
of  days  and  Prince  will  be  ready  to  do  anything.  If  I  was 
to  try  I  should  start  on  his  back  and  take  my  chance.  The 
Indians  cannot  have  many  horses  as  fast  as  he  is,  and  if  I  can 
get  through  safely,  they  may  ride  as  hard  as  they  like.  There 
won't  be  many  who  can  catch  me  anyhow,  and  if  they  came  up 
one  at  a  time,  I  have  my  revolver  and  can  hold  my  own.  I 
shouldn't  like  to  try  to-night,  for  many  of  their  horses  are 


"GOOD-BYE  TO  YOU  ALL!"  249 

fresh,  and  Prince  wants  at  least  twenty-four  hours  before  he 
is  fit  for  work  again ;  but  if  you  like  to  give  up  your  attempt 
to-night,  Steve,  I  will  try  to-morrow  night." 

"  No,  no,  lad,  we  will  do  as  we  have  planned.  You  might 
do  it,  and  you  might  not.  More  likely  you  would  not,  for  like 
enough  you  would  run  agin  a  dozen  of  them  going  out,  and 
would  get  a  lasso  dropped  over  your  shoulders  afore  you  saw  or 
heard  them.  Besides,  you  are  young,  lad.  You  have  got  your 
life  afore  you.  I  am  getting  on,  and  Rosie  will  have  Jim  to 
look  after  her,  so  it  don't  make  much  matter  along  of  me." 

An  hour  later  it  was  perfectly  dark.  Steve  had  left  his  hat 
lying  on  the  edge  of  the  rock  exactly  above  the  ridge,  when 
he  had  visited  it  with  Harry  and  Long  Tom.  Several  of  the 
ropes  were  knotted  together ;  while  this  was  being  done,  Steve 
withdrew  with  his  daughter  and  Jim  Gattling  from  the  fire, 
and  was  absent  five  or  six  minutes.  He  came  back  by  himself. 

"  I  am  ready,"  he  said.  "  Good-bye  to  you  all !  I  hope  as 
I'll  see  you  all  agin  afore  long."  He  shook  hands  with  them 
all  round,  and  then,  taking  up  his  rifle,  walked  away  without 
looking  round,  followed  by  Broncho  Harry  and  Long  Tom,  the 
latter  saying  to  Hugh  and  two  others,  "You  come  too.  We 
shall  want  you  to  lower  the  last  of  us  down,  and  to  hoist  us 
up  again." 

The  hat  was  soon  found.  All  three  men  took  off  their  boots. 
Broncho  Harry  tied  those  of  Steve  together  by  a  short  piece  of 
rope  and  slung  them  over  his  shoulder,  and  he  and  Tom  left 
their  revolvers  and  belts  behind  them. 

"  Now  we  are  ready,"  Harry  said  ;  "  mind,  Steve,  as  you  go 
down  you  keep  your  face  to  the  rock,  so  that  that  gun  of  yours 
sha'n't  strike  it ;  you  can't  be  too  keerful,  you  know."  A  loop 
was  placed  round  Steve's  shoulder  under  the  arm.  "  You  lie 
down,  Hugh,  with  your  face  over  the  edge,  then  Steve  can  tell 
you  if  we  are  one  side  or  other  of  the  ledge.  It  looked  plumb 
down  from  here,  but  it  mayn't  be." 

Harry  had,  rather  to  Hugh's  surprise,  taken  up  his  blanket  as 
he  left  the  fire,  but  he  now  saw  the  object ;  it  was  partly  folded 


250  "I  THINK  THE   OLD  MAN   HAS   GOT   SAFE  OFF." 

and  laid  over  the  edge  so  as  to  prevent  any  chance  of  the  rope 
touching  a  rock  and  being  cut  by  it. 

"  Now,  Tom  and  I  will  hold  it  out  a  bit  beyond  the  face," 
Harry  said ;  "  and  you  two  do  the  lowering  away.  Now,  Steve." 

Steve  knelt  down  at  the  edge  and  lowered  himself  until  the 
strain  came  on  the  rope.  This  Broncho  and  Tom  held  out  as  far 
as  they  could,  and  the  other  two  steadily  lowered  it.  It  was 
so  dark  that  Hugh  could  not  see  the  ridge  and  presently  lost 
sight  of  Steve.  Soon,  however,  he  heard  his  voice,  "  About  a 
foot  more  to  the  right."  A  few  seconds  later  the  strain  on  the 
rope  ceased. 

"  Are  you  all  right,  Steve  ?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  am  astride  of  it ;  it  is  wider  than  I  thought  it  was. 
Now  I  will  move  on ;  you  can  let  Broncho  down  as  soon  as 
you  like." 

The  other  two  men  were  lowered,  and  then  there  was  a  long 
silence.  It  was  no  easy  matter,  Hugh  knew,  to  crawl  along  the 
ridge,  for  it  was  by  no  means  even.  The  great  danger  was 
that  there  might  be  loose  pieces  which  would  be  dislodged  and 
go  clattering  down  below.  When,  however,  ten  minutes  had 
passed  without  any  sound  being  heard,  the  watchers  felt  sure 
that  the  three  men  must  have  gained  the  opposite  summit. 
There  was  nothing  now  to  do  but  to  sit  down  and  wait.  At 
the  end  of  an  hour  and  a  half,  Hugh,  who  was  again  leaning 
over  listening  intently,  heard  a  voice  below  him,  "  Lower  down 
that  other  rope,  Hugh,  we  are  both  here." 

The  short  rope  was  lowered,  for  the  long  one  had  been  taken 
by  them  to  lower  Steve  from  the  other  butte,  and  in  a  short 
time  Broncho  and  Long  Tom  stood  beside  them. 

"  I  think  the  old  man  has  got  safe  off,"  Broncho  Harry  said. 
"  We  have  stood  over  there  listening  all  this  time  and  ain't  heard 
a  sound.  There  are  plenty  of  the  varmint  about.  You  hear 
that  barking  of  prairie-dogs  and  hooting  of  owls  ?  That's  them 
letting  each  other  know  where  they  are ;  they  are  thick  every- 
where, I  guess,  round  the  foot  of  this  butte,  but  we  didn't  hear 
them  on  the  other  side,  and  I  reckon  there  ain't  many  of 


rr  WOULDN'T  BE  SAFE.  251 

them  there  anyhow.  Steve  must  have  got  beyond  them  by 
this  time.  That  wur  a  first-rate  idea  of  yours,  Hugh;  he 
never  would  have  got  through  if  we  had  lowered  him  off  here  ; 
but  it  wasn't  no  joke  getting  along  that  ridge  in  the  dark,  I 
can  tell  you.  We  air  all  accustomed  to  balance  ourselves  in 
the  saddle,  and  so  made  a  shift  to  get  across ;  but  in  some 
places  the  rock  wur  pretty  nigh  as  sharp  as  a  knife." 

"  Do  you  think  that  there  is  any  chance  of  a  night  attack, 
Broncho?" 

"  One  never  can  answer  for  the  varmint,  but  I  don't  reckon 
as  they  are  like  to  try  it ;  they  know  they  couldn't  get  up  to 
the  top,  and  all  they  could  hope  for  would  be  to  kill  some  of 
the  horses  and  cut  off  the  men  on  watch.  It  wouldn't  be  worth 
risking  many  lives  to  do  that ;  besides,  it  ain't  a  nice  place  to 
climb  in  the  dark.  They  can  crawl  along  out  on  the  plain 
without  making  more  noise  than  a  snake  would  do,  but  that  is 
a  different  thing  to  climbing  up  among  bush  and  rock  in  the 
dark.  They  couldn't  reckon  on  doing  it  without  being  heard. 
No,  Hugh,  it  may  be  that  one  or  two  of  the  young  bucks  want- 
ing to  distinguish  themselves  and  thirsting  for  scalps,  may 
crawl  up  and  see  if  they  can  catch  any  one  napping  down 
below  there,  but  I  reckon  that  is  all,  and  that  ain't  likely  to 
be  tried  to-night.  They  are  all  out  there  trying  to  make  sure 
that  no  one  gets  away.  That  is  their  first  consarn ;  besides, 
like  enough  the  chiefs  will  try  in  the  morning  to  get  us  to 
surrender,  and  it  wouldn't  do  for  any  young  brave  to  make  a 
venture  on  his  own  account,  until  it  is  sartin  that  they  ain't 
going  to  get  us  without  fighting;  still,  I  wouldn't  say  that 
when  it  comes  to  your  turn  to  be  on  guard,  Lightning,  it  would 
be  altogether  safe  for  you  to  put  your  rifle  down  and  take  an 
hour's  sleep." 

"Well,  I  am  not  likely  to  try  that  experiment  anyhow, 
Broncho." 

"  No ;  I  didn't  guess  as  you  was.  I  only  said  as  it  wouldn't 
be  safe.  I  don't  think  Steve  put  enough  men  on  guard.  I 
am  going  to  talk  to  the  others  about  it.  I  reckon  we  ought  to 


252  "YOUR  FATHER  HAS  GOT  OFF  SAFE." 

divide  into  two  guards,  say  ten  on  each  watch :  four  down 
below,  four  up  with  the  horses,  two  up  here  at  the  top  of  the 
path.  We  sha'n't  have  much  to  do  all  day,  and  can  sleep  as 
much  as  we  like.  Steve  is  an  old  Injun  fighter,  and  he  knows 
better  than  we  do  what  the  chances  air,  still  there  ain't  no 
good  taking  risks." 

"  I  quite  agree  with  you,  Broncho.  Now  that  Steve  has  got 
safe  away  we  know  we  shall  get  help  before  very  long ;  and  it 
would  be  foolish  to  run  any  risk  merely  from  want  of  care.  I 
would  go  even  farther  and  let  fifteen  men  be  on  watch  at  night, 
and  let  five  sleep  and  keep  look-out  during  the  day." 

"  That  would  be  no  better,  lad,  that  would  be  worse,  for  it 
is  difficult  to  keep  awake  the  whole  night,  especially  if  night 
after  night  passes  without  an  alarm." 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  others,  and  there  was 
much  rejoicing  when  it  was  heard  that  Steve  Rutherford  had 
got  safe  away. 

"  Do  you  feel  sure,  Harry,  that  they  might  not  have  caught 
him  and  killed  him  without  any  noise  ?  "  Rosie  asked  anxiously. 

"  Sartin.  Steve's  last  words  was  :  '  I  shall  keep  my  six-shooter 
in  my  hand,  and  if  they  riddle  me  with  arrows,  Broncho,  I 
will  fire  a  shot  or  two  before  I  drop,  don't  you  fear  about  that.' 
And  he  would  do  it.  Besides,  it  ain't  in  Injun  nature  to  kill 
an  enemy  without  setting  up  a  yell  over  it.  A  Red-skin's  like 
a  hen  laying  an  egg ;  he  has  got  to  boast  of  it  loud  enough  for 
all  the  world  to  hear.  No ;  you  needn't  be  a  bit  afeard,  gal. 
Your  father  has  got  off  safe,  and  by  this  time  I  reckon  he  is 
ten  miles  away." 

Harry  then  made  the  proposal  that  half  the  men  should 
be  always  on  guard,  to  which  they  at  once  agreed,  and  six  of 
them,  taking  up  their  arms,  left  the  fire  without  further  words, 
and  started  to  take  up  their  post  on  the  slope. 

"  Now,  Rosie,  you  shall  give  us  a  pan  of  tea  and  a  bit  of 
meat,  and  then  the  sooner  we  are  all  asleep  the  better.  We 
shall  want  to  use  our  eyes  when  it  is  our  turn  on  watch." 

At  twelve  o'clock  they  were  on  their  feet  again,  and  went 


ON   GUARD.  253 

down  the  hill.  "  Now,  Harry,"  said  Long  Tom,  "  Lightning 
and  you  and  me  will  go  along  to  the  bottom;  three  others 
keep  about  fifty  yards  behind  us,  two  up  below  the  horses,  and 
two  on  the  top  here." 

As  they  took  their  places,  and  the  men  they  relieved  re- 
turned to  the  summit,  Long  Tom  said :  "  Listen  to  the  calls, 
Lightning ;  the  Red-skins  have  heard  us  moving  and  are  warn- 
ing each  other  to  look  sharp.  I  reckon  they  are  as  thick 
as  peas  all  round  here,  for  they  know  that  if  one  of  us  tries 
to  make  a  bolt  on  horseback  it  is  here  he  must  start;  but 
they  can  hardly  suppose  that  we  are  such  fools  as  that  comes 
to.  Now  you  move  away  five  or  six  yards  to  the  right  and 
post  yourself  behind  a  rock.  You  have  got  to  keep  your  eyes 
in  front  of  you  to  see  if  you  can  see  anything  moving  in  the 
grass ;  and  you  have  got  to  listen  for  any  sound  over  there  to 
the  right,  in  case  any  of  the  Red-skins  should  try  to  crawl  up 
through  the  bushes  to  circumvent  us.  I'll  go  to  the  left,  and 
Broncho  kin  take  the  middle  of  the  path." 

Hugh  took  up  his  post  and  maintained  a  vigilant  watch  ;  he 
was  much  more  afraid  of  an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
to  crawl  up  on  the  right  than  of  an  attack  in  front,  and  listened 
intently  for  the  slightest  sound  of  moving  leaves  on  that  side, 
for  he  knew  that  the  Indians  would  not  be  likely  to  break  the 
smallest  twig  in  their  progress.  In  front  of  him  he  could  dis- 
cern the  expanse  of  the  plain  stretching  out ;  there  were  a  few 
low  bushes  here  and  there,  and  at  times,  to  his  straining  eyes, 
it  seemed  that  some  of  the  dark  masses  moved,  but  he  knew 
that  this  might  be  only  fancy.  Hour  after  hour  passed.  Pre- 
sently Harry  stole  up  to  his  side.  "  Day  will  be  breaking  in  an 
hour,  Hugh,  keep  a  sharp  look-out  now ;  they  will  try  it,  if  they 
try  it  at  all,  just  as  the  sky  begins  to  lighten." 

All,  however,  remained  quiet,  and  Hugh  felt  in  no  slight 
degree  relieved  as  the  light  stole  gradually  up  the  eastern  sky, 
and  he  felt  that  Harry's  anticipations  were  incorrect,  and  that 
no  attack  would  be  made.  As  soon  as  the  sun  rose  the  sentries 
were  relieved,  and  the  party  on  watch  retired  to  the  crest,  for 


254  A   MEETING. 

from  there  a  view  over  the  whole  of  the  plain  was  obtainable, 
and  it  was  impossible  for  the  Indians  to  crawl  up  towards  the 
buttes  without  being  seen.  Two  hours  later  a  party  were  seen 
approaching  from  the  main  Indian  camp;  they  stopped  five 
hundred  yards  away ;  then  two  Indians  advanced  and  held  up 
their  arms  to  show  they  had  left  their  rifles  behind  them. 

"  I  thought  they  would  be  wanting  to  have  a  talk  this  mor- 
ning," Broncho  Harry  said.  "  I  suppose  two  of  us  had  better 
go  down  to  meet  them." 

"  You  and  Jim  Gattling  had  better  go,  Broncho." 

"  No,"  Jim  said  ;  "  Rason  had  better  go  with  you,  Broncho  : 
he  speaks  a  little  of  their  language,  and  I  don't;  it  is  not 
likely  either  of  the  chiefs  speak  English." 

"  All  right !  "  Broncho  said  ;  "  it  is  as  well  to  understand  what 
they  say,  though  we  know  well  enough  that  nothing  will  come 
of  it.  Put  your  six-shooter  in  your  pocket,  Rason,  they  will 
have  their  tomahawks  and  knives  hidden  about  them  some- 
where ;  half  a  dozen  of  the  rest  had  better  come  down  the 
slope.  It  ain't  likely  they  will  make  a  rush,  but  when  they 
find  we  won't  agree  to  their  terms  they  may  turn  nasty." 

Hugh  watched  the  meeting  from  the  top  of  the  butte.  It 
lasted  about  ten  minutes,  and  then  the  envoys  separated  and 
returned  to  their  respective  parties.  The  result  was  clear 
enough,  for  when  the  Indian  chiefs  reached  their  followers  they 
raised  a  defiant  war-cry,  which  was  taken  up  all  over  the  plain. 

"Just  as  I  expected,"  Harry  said.  "The  Red-skins  always 
like  to  have  a  talk  before  they  begin  to  fight,  even  when  they 
know  well  enough  that  nothing  can  come  of  it." 

"  What  were  their  proposals? " 

"  They  said  that  they  knew  we  could  hold  out  for  a  time, 
but  that  the  water  would  soon  be  finished,  and  we  must  give 
in  then.  We  had  stolen  the  white  women  out  of  their  camp, 
and  had  killed  their  young  men ;  but  if  we  would  give  up  the 
women  and  surrender  our  arms  and  ammunition,  they  would 
let  us  depart  free." 

"What  did  you  say,  Broncho  in  return?" 


"A  GAME   OF   BLUFF."  255 

"  I  said  that  we  was  very  comfortable  up  here,  and  that  if 
we  had  taken  the  women,  they  had  stolen  them  away  from 
us.  As  to  our  arms,  we  thought  they  was  more  useful  in  our 
hands  than  they  would  be  in  theirs ;  but  that  if  they  would 
go  back  to  their  villages  we  would  promise  to  do  them  no 
farther  harm  until  they  troubled  us  again." 

"  Who  were  the  chiefs,  Harry?  " 

"  One  was  the  Eagle ;  he  is  a  big  chief.  I  have  often  heard 
of  him.  The  other  was  the  Owl.  I  fancy  the  Eagle  is  the 
fighting  chief,  and  the  Owl  the  counsellor.  He  is  a  crafty- 
looking  beggar.  The  Eagle  is  a  fine  tall  Red-skin,  a  sort  of  chap 
I  shouldn't  care  about  having  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with,  with 
knives  and  tomahawks.  He  told  us  it  wur  no  use  our  hoping 
for  assistance,  for  that  none  could  come  to  us,  and  unless  we 
could  fly  we  could  not  get  through  his  young  men ;  and  that 
even  if  we  could,  our  scalps  would  be  hanging  in  their  lodges 
long  before  we  could  get  down  to  the  ranches.  I  said  he  might 
have  our  scalps  if  he  could  take  them ;  but  that  if  he  did  it 
would  be  off  dead  bodies,  for  as  long  as  one  of  us  had  strength 
to  draw  trigger  he  would  not  get  up  on  to  the  butte.  That  was 
all.  He  knew  well  enough  what  the  answer  would  be.  He 
wanted  to  see,  I  fancy,  how  we  took  it,  and  whether  we  were 
in  good  heart.  It  wur  just  a  game  of  bluff,  and  neither  of  us 
wur  going  to  show  our  hands." 

That  night  Broncho  Harry's  party  went  first  on  watch,  and 
were  relieved  at  twelve  o'clock.  The  Indians  had  remained 
quiet  all  the  day,  and  Harry  said  to  Hugh  as  they  returned  up 
the  hill  after  being  relieved,  "  I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  they 
try  and  attack  before  morning.  In  the  first  place,  they  have 
been  wonderful  quiet  all  day ;  and  in  the  next  place,  I  reckon 
that  when  the  chief  said  he  acknowledged  that  we  could  hold 
the  place,  he  just  meant  to  give  us  the  idee  that  he  didn't  mean 
to  attack,  and  wur  only  going  to  starve  us  out.  In  course  they 
will  do  that  afterwards,  but  I  think  they  will  try  one  rush  first. 
I  tell  you  what,  Hugh,  we  will  set  to  work  now  and  get  the 
rest  of  the  horses  to  the  top.  They  can't  pick  up  much  where 


256  AN  ATTACK. 

they  are  now,  and  they  may  as  well  be  out  of  the  way  if  there 
is  a  fight." 

The  ten  men  soon  got  the  horses  up  on  to  the  plateau  and 
then  lay  down  to  sleep.  The  morning  was  just  breaking  when 
the  crack  of  a  rifle  was  heard,  and  it  was  followed  instantly  by 
a  score  of  others  and  an  outburst  of  fierce  yelling ;  every  man 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  ran  to  the  top  of  the  path.  "  Hugh, 
do  you  and  two  others  take  your  place  on  the  edge  of  the  rock 
on  the  right  of  the  gap.  Tom,  you  and  Stumpy  and  Rason, 
take  your  places  on  the  left  and  kiver  us  as  we  fall  back,  if  we 
have  to,  as  is  like  enough.  Come  on  with  me  the  rest  of  you." 

Standing  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  Hugh  saw  the  flashes  burst- 
ing out  rapidly  among  the  rocks  and  trees  at  the  foot  of  the 
slope,  and  soon  perceived  that  they  were  mounting  upwards. 
A  crowd  of  Indians  must  have  thrown  themselves  suddenly  for- 
ward and  established  themselves  in  cover,  and  they  were  now 
fighting  their  way  up.  The  defenders  had  fallen  back,  for  the 
answering  flashes  were  half-way  up  the  slope.  The  rattle  of 
musketry  was  incessant,  but  far  above  it  rose  the  yells  of  the 
Indians.  The  whites  fought  silently. 

It  was  still  too  dark  to  make  out  the  figures,  and  Hugh  and 
his  companions  remained  inactive. 

"  Our  men  are  falling  back,  Bill,"  he  said  presently  to  Royce, 
who  was  standing  a  few  yards  away  on  the  other  side  of  the  gap. 

"  They  are  sure  to  do  that,"  Royce  replied.  "  I  guess  there 
are  two  hundred  Injuns  down  there,  and  though  it  is  difficult 
for  them  to  make  their  way  through  the  bushes,  they  will  do 
it.  You  will  see  our  fellows  will  soon  be  up  here." 

Five  minutes  later,  indeed,  three  or  four  figures  were  seen 
coming  up  the  path.  "Who  are  you?"  Hugh  shouted. 

"It  is  all  right,"  one  of  them  called  out.  "There  air  too 
many  for  us,  and  Broncho  has  ordered  us  to  fall  back,  and  help 
you  cover  the  rest." 

Gradually  the  flashes  of  the  defenders'  rifles  ceased  to  spurt 
out  from  among  the  rocks,  and  died  away  altogether.  Then 
at  full  speed  the  men  dashed  up  the  pathway,  followed  closely 


A   REPULSE.  257 

by  a  number  of  leaping  figures.  Then  the  rifles  of  those  along 
the  edge  of  the  rock  cracked  out.  There  was  a  chorus  of  cries 
and  yells,  and  the  pursuers  bounded  in  among  the  rocks  and 
bushes  again,  and  their  rifles  flashed  out  angrily.  Rason  fell 
backwards,  shot  through  the  head,  and  a  cry  on  the  other  side  of 
the  gap  showed  that  at  least  one  was  hit  there. 

"  Lie  down,"  Hugh  shouted,  "  and  fire  over  the  edge." 

In  a  minute  the  whole  party  were  gathered  on  the  crest. 
The  daylight  was  now  broadening  rapidly ;  but  not  one  of  the 
assailants  could  be  seen,  though  the  puffs  of  smoke  from  behind 
rock  and  bush  showed  how  thickly  they  were  gathered. 

"Will  they  try  a  rush,  do  you  think?  "  Hugh  asked  Broncho, 
who  had  taken  his  post  beside  him. 

"I  don't  think  so,"  Harry  said.  "I  expect  they  didn't 
reckon  on  finding  so  many  men  on  guard  on  the  slope,  and 
thought  they  might  carry  it  with  a  rush  and  get  here  afore 
we  was  ready  for  them,  and  before  it  wur  light  enough  for  us 
to  shoot  straight.  They  can't  gather  thick  enough  among 
the  rocks  down  thar  to  give  them  a  chance  of  making  a  big 
rush." 

Apparently  this  was  also  the  opinion  of  the  Indians,  who 
soon  learned  that  it  was  dangerous  to  show  their  position  by 
firing,  for  every  shot  was  answered  instantly,  and  several  were 
killed  as  they  raised  their  heads  to  fire  from  behind  the  rocks. 
The  firing,  therefore,  gradually  ceased. 

"  Now  we  are  just  as  we  was  before,"  Harry  said.  "  It  wur 
sartin  we  couldn't  hold  the  slope  if  they  made  an  attack.  The 
only  thing  is,  they  are  nearer  for  a  rush  in  the  dark  than  they 
was  afore.  There  ain't  no  fear  of  their  trying  it  as  long  as  it 
is  light.  Six  will  be  enough  to  keep  guard  at  present.  We 
will  talk  over  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

Six  men  were  picked  out  as  a  guard,  the  rest  assembled 
in  council.  "  We  have  got  to  block  up  that  gap  somehow," 
Harry  said.  "  If  they  make  a  rush  in  the  dark  we  may  kill 
a  lot  of  them  ;  but  the  chances  are,  they  will  get  up.  It  seems 
to  me  that  we  had  best  kill  half  the  horses  and  pile  them  up 


258  CLOSING  THE  GAP. 

down  near  the  mouth.  That  will  make  a  breast-work,  and  will 
stop  their  bullets." 

There  was  a  general  chorus  of  assent.  Then  Hugh  said, 
"  That  seems  a  very  good  idea,  Harry,  but  I  should  think  that 
it  would  be  better  if  we  were  to  make  that  breast-work  half-way 
up  the  gap,  and  to  cut  off  some  big  arms  of  these  trees  and  pile 
them  in  front  of  it.  If  we  were  to  pretty  well  fill  up  the  gap 
with  boughs  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  get  through,  and  a 
couple  of  us  behind  the  breast-work  with  six-shooters  would 
prevent  them  from  clearing  it  away,  especially  as  the  others 
could  fire  down  from  above  on  them." 

"That's  it,"  Broncho  Harry  said.  "That  will  make  us  as 
safe  as  if  there  wur  no  gap  at  all.  Bully  for  you  again, 
young  un  !  Let  us  set  to  work  about  it  at  once." 

There  was  not  a  hatchet  among  them,  and  it  took  them  the 
whole  day  to  cut  off  five  or  six  stout  boughs  of  trees  with  their 
bowie-knives.  However,  it  was  done  at  last.  The  boughs  were 
dragged  along  until  near  the  mouth  of  the  gap  and  then  dropped 
into  it,  the  butt- ends  inwards,  Broncho  Harry  and  two  or 
three  of  the  others  going  down  into  the  gap  and  arranging 
them  so  that  a  dense  screen  was  formed  outwards  with  the 
boughs  and  leaves.  One  or  two  shots  came  up  from  the  bottom 
of  the  slope,  but  these  were  harmless,  and  the  guard  took  care 
that  no  one  was  able  to  fire  from  a  direct  line  with  the  gap 
from  anywhere  near  the  summit.  At  last  the  boughs  were  all 
in  position,  and  a  dense  hedge  filled  the  gap  twelve  feet  high. 

"We  can  spare  the  horses,"  Harry  said.  "They  can't  get 
through  that  hedge  with  us  above  them.  They  will  never  even 
try  it.  They  see  as  we  are  up  to  something  by  their  firing,  but 
I  don't  suppose  they  can  make  out  what  it  is.  Like  enough 
one  of  them  will  crawl  up  after  it  gets  dark  to  see,  and  when 
he  reports  what  we  have  done  they  will  know  that  the  game  is 
up  as  far  as  taking  the  place  by  storm  is  concarned." 

From  this  time  forward  no  attempt  was  made  to  renew 
the  attack.  The  Indians  still  held  the  slope,  for  shots  were 
occasionally  fired  whenever  one  of  the  defenders  came  near 


A  QUIET  TIME.  259 

enough  to  the  edge  to  allow  his  head  to  be  seen,  otherwise  all 
was  quiet.  As  soon  as  the  meat  brought  up  was  finished,  one 
of  the  Indian  horses  was  killed,  and  Hugh  found  that  its  flesh 
was  by  no  means  bad  eating.  The  water  was  carefully  hus- 
banded, horses  as  well  as  men  being  placed  on  the  smallest 
possible  allowance.  The  horses  too  were  picketed  so  as  to 
prevent  them  from  grazing  at  will,  and  the  grass  was  cut  and 
supplied  to  them  in  small  bundles,  mixed  with  leaves  from  the 
trees.  With  good  management  it  was  agreed  that  they  would 
be  able  to  hold  out  for  a  fortnight  without  difficulty. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WITH  THE  WAGGON  TEAMS. 

SOON  after  daybreak  on  the  twelfth  day  the  watch,  which 
had  now  been  carefully  kept  up  for  some  days,  reported  that 
two  Indians  were  galloping  at  full  speed  up  the  valley.  A  cheer 
broke  from  the  defenders  of  the  butte,  for  they  doubted  not 
that  these  brought  news  of  the  approach  of  a  relieving  party. 
When  the  horsemen  arrived  at  the  main  encampment  out  on 
the  plain  a  stir  was  immediately  visible,  and  in  two  or  three 
minutes  the  Indians  were  seen  running  out  to  the  horses  grazing 
on  the  plain  beyond,  while  loud  yells  rang  through  the  air. 

"Those  who  have  got  rifles  had  better  come  to  the  edge," 
Long  Tom  shouted.  "  All  these  fellows  who  are  here  will  be 
scooting  out  on  the  plain  in  a  minute.  We  must  stop  a  few  of 
them  anyhow." 

A  minute  or  two  later  scores  of  Indians  dashed  out  from  the 
trees  at  the  foot  of  the  buttes,  and  ran  towards  their  encamp 
ment.  The  whites  at  once  opened  fire,  but  a  running  man  fai 
below  is  a  difficult  mark,  and  not  a  single  shot  took  effect. 

"  You  don't  call  that  shooting,"  Broncho  Harry  said  indig- 
nantly. 

"  It  is  all  very  well,  Harry,"  Hugh  said,  "  but  a  brown  spot 
three  hundred  feet  below  you,  and  as  many  yards  away,  isn't 
an  easy  mark." 

"  Waal,"  Harry  said,  "  it  can't  be  helped.  Now  we  will  get 
ready  to  go  out  to  lend  a  hand  to  our  friends.  Let  us  have  a 


GETTING  READY  FOR  ACTION.  261 

couple  of  ropes ;  we  will  tie  them  to  the  branches  one  by  one 
and  haul  them  up.  There  is  no  fear  of  an  attack.  Now  look 
here,  Jim,  you  and  your  lot  had  best  stop  here  to  guard  the 
women,  and  we  will  sally  out.  There  are  five  of  you ;  that  will 
be  plenty." 

The  man  on  watch  now  gave  a  shout.  "  I  can  see  them,"  he 
said. 

"  How  many  of  them  ?  " 

"  I  guess  there  is  about  eighty.  There  is  a  thick  clump  in 
the  middle,  I  reckon  that  they  are  the  soldiers,  and  thirty  or 
forty  riding  loose  ;  I  allow  they  are  cow-boys." 

"  That  is  just  about  the  right  number/'  Harry  said ;  "  if  there 
was  more  of  them  the  Indians  wouldn't  fight.  I  don't  know 
as  they  will  now,  but  seeing  as  there  must  be  three  hundred 
of  them,  I  expect  they  will  try  it.  Now,  then,  up  with  these 
branches." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  branches  were  all  hauled  out  of 
the  gap.  While  this  had  been  going  on  the  women  had  given 
a  feed  and  a  good  drink  of  water  to  the  horses,  for  there  was 
no  occasion  any  longer  to  husband  their  resources.  The  animals 
were  now  saddled  and  led  down  through  the  gap.  By  this 
time  the  Indians  were  all  mounted,  and  were  moving  in  a  close 
body  across  the  plain  to  meet  the  advancing  foe. 

"  Now,  Jim,"  Broncho  Harry  said,  "  you  stand  on  the  edge, 
and  when  you  see  the  fight  begin  you  wave  your  hand.  We 
can't  make  a  start  until  they  are  at  it,  and  we  sha'n't  be  able  to 
see  down  below  there." 

The  cow-boys  made  their  way  down  to  the  plain  and  then 
mounted.  They  sat  for  ten  minutes  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon 
Jim  Gattling.  Presently  he  waved  his  arm,  and  with  a  shout 
they  started  at  a  gallop.  As  soon  as  they  were  fairly  out  on 
the  plain  they  heard  the  sound  of  fire-arms,  and  after  galloping 
half  a  mile  came  suddenly  in  view  of  the  combat.  The  Indians 
had  boldly  closed  with  the  troops  and  cow-boys,  who  were  now 


262  **  GIVE   IT  THEM    HOT  !  " 

driven  together.  A  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflict  was  raging. 
Swords  flashing  in  the  sun,  waving  tomahawks,  and  spears 
could  be  seen  above  the  mass.  The  cracking  of  revolvers  was 
incessant,  and  a  light  smoke  hung  over  the  conflict. 

"  They  are  hard  at  it,  boys,"  Long  Tom  exclaimed  j  "  now 
don't  shout  until  we  are  on  them.  They  are  too  busy  to  notice 
us.  Keep  well  together,  and  we  shall  go  through  them  like 
a  knife." 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  as  they  galloped  down  upon  the 
scene  of  conflict.  When  they  were  within  a  hundred  yards 
a  cry  of  warning  was  raised,  and  some  of  the  Indians  faced 
round ;  but  in  a  moment,  with  a  loud  shout,  the  band  of  cow- 
boys charged  down  upon  them  and  cleft  their  way  into  the 
mass,  horse  and  rider  rolling  over  under  the  impetus  of  the 
onslaught.  The  deadly  six-shooters  spoke  out,  while  the  Indian! 
fell  thickly  around  them ;  and  in  a  minute  they  had  joined  the 
whites  in  the  centre  of  the  mass.  There  was  a  shout  of  wel- 
come, and  then  the  officer  commanding  the  troops  cried  : 

"  Now  is  your  time,  lads ;  press  them  hard,  give  it  them  hot ! " 
and  the  united  party  attacked  the  Indians  with  fresh  vigour. 

Up  to  this  time  there  had  been  little  advantage  on  either 
side.  Many  more  of  the  Indians  had  fallen  than  of  the  whites, 
owing  to  the  superiority  of  the  latter's  weapons,  especially  the 
revolvers  of  the  cow-boy  section.  Still  their  great  superiority 
in  numbers  was  telling,  and  when  the  six-shooters  were  emptied 
the  cow-boys  had  no  weapons  to  oppose  to  the  spears  and  toma- 
hawks of  the  Indians.  The  sudden  attack  from  the  rear,  how- 
ever, had  shaken  the  Red-skins.  In  the  momentary  pause 
that  had  ensued  many  of  the  cow-boys  slipped  fresh  cartridges 
into  their  pistols,  and  in  a  short  time  the  Indians  began  to  give 
ground,  while  the  less  courageous  of  them  wheeled  about  their 
horses'  heads. 

War  Eagle  and  some  of  the  chiefs  fought  desperately ;  but 
when  the  former  fell,  cut  down  by  one  of  the  troopers,  a  panic 


263 

spread  among  his  followers,  and  as  if  by  a  sudden  impulse  they 
turned  and  fled.  The  pursuit  was  a  short  one,  for  the  horses 
of  the  rescuing  force  were  jaded  with  the  long  journey  they 
had  performed ;  those  of  the  party  from  the  butte  were  weakened 
by  hunger,  while  the  ponies  of  the  Indians  had  been  doing 
nothing  for  days,  and  speedily  left  them  behind.  After  hearty 
congratulations  by  the  rescuers,  and  sincere  thanks  by  those 
whom  they  had  relieved  from  their  peril,  the  party  returned 
to  the  scene  of  conflict.  Four  troopers  and  two  cow-boys  had 
fallen,  and  a  score  had  received  wounds  more  or  less  serious ; 
while  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  over  thirty  lay  dead.  Graves 
were  dug  for  the  fallen  whites,  the  wounds  of  the  others  were 
bandaged  up,  and  they  then  proceeded  to  the  butte,  at  whose  foot 
the  women,  and  the  settlers  who  had  been  left  to  guard  them, 
had  already  gathered,  they  having  hurried  down  as  soon  as  they 
saw  the  plain  covered  with  flying  Indians. 

Steve  had  returned  with  the  rescuing  party,  and  had  been 
severely  wounded  in  the  fight,  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk  having 
cut  off  one  of  his  ears,  wounded  his  cheek,  and  inflicted  a  ter- 
rible gash  on  his  shoulder.  He  was,  however,  in  the  highest 
spirits. 

"  I  sha'n't  look  sc  purty,  my  dear,"  he  said  to  his  daughter, 
who  burst  into  tears  at  the  sight  of  his  injury,  "but  then  I 
was  not  anything  uncommon  afore,  and  I  haven't  any  thought 
of  going  courting  again.  Waal,  we  have  given  the  Injuns  a 
smart  lesson." 

When  the  handshaking  and  congratulations  ceased,  the 
captain  commanding  the  cavalry  held  a  consultation  with  Steve 
and  some  of  the  cow-boys  as  to  the  advisability  of  following  up 
the  victory  and  attacking  the  Indians  in  their  own  villages. 

"  I  should  not  feel  justified  in  doing  it  unless  I  was  pretty 
certain  of  success.  The  commandant  of  the  fort  gave  me  orders 
to  rescue  this  party,  and  I  have  done  so ;  but  he  said  nothing 
about  engaging  in  a  regular  campaign  with  the  Indians." 


264  AN   OLD    FRIEND. 

"  I  shouldn't  try,  captain,"  Steve  said.  "  I  reckon  they 
haven't  half  their  force  here  to-day — no,  nor  a  quarter — for 
they  reckon  to  put  a  thousand  fighting  men  in  the  field.  They 
didn't  guess  as  any  of  us  had  got  off  to  get  help,  and  knew 
that  they»had  plenty  here  to  keep  us  caged  upon  the  butte. 
Another  thing  is,  the  cow-boys  with  us  air  all  employed  on 
the  ranches,  and  although  they  came  off  willing  to  rescue  the 
women,  and  pay  the  Injuns  off  for  that  murdering  business  at 
our  settlement,  I  reckon  they  will  want  to  be  off  again  to  their 
work.  But  even  with  them  we  ain't  no  match  for  the  forces 
the  Red-skins  can  collect,  so  if  you  will  take  my  advice,  cap- 
tain, you  won't  waste  a  minute,  for  thar  is  no  saying  how  soon 
they  will  be  down  on  us  again,  and  if  they  did  come  the  fight 
to-day  wouldn't  be  a  sarcumstance  to  the  next." 

"  You  are  right,"  the  officer  said ;  "  it  would  be  folly  to  risk 
anything  by  waiting  here.  I  suppose  you  are  all  ready  to 
start." 

"I  reckon  so,"  Steve  said ;  "  the  horses  have  all  been  brought 
down  from  the  hill." 

The  officer  at  once  gave  orders  to  mount. 

While  this  conversation  had  been  going  on,  Hugh,  who  was 
occupied  in  giving  Prince  a  good  feed  from  the  grain  the  sol- 
diers had  brought  for  their  horses,  saw  one  of  the  troopers 
staring  at  him. 

"  Hullo,  Luscombe  ! "  he  exclaimed,  "  who  would  have  thought 
of  seeing  you  here  !  " 

"  I  thought  I  couldn't  be  mistaken,  Hugh,"  the  other  ex- 
claimed as  they  grasped  each  other's  hands ;  "  but  you  have 
changed  so  much,and  widened  out  so  tremendously  in  the  eighteen 
months  since  I  left  you,  that  for  a  moment  I  wasn't  sure  it  was 
you.  Well,  this  is  luck,  and  it  is  quite  a  fluke  too.  I  was 
getting  heartily  sick  of  doing  duty  at  that  wretched  fort,  where 
one  day  was  just  like  another,  and  there  was  nothing  in  the 
world  to  do  except  cleaning  one's  traps,  when  a  letter  arrived 


OUT  OF  THE   INDIAN   COUNTRY.  265 

from  the  governor.  I  told  you  the  old  boy  was  sure  to  give  in 
sooner  or  later,  and  he  sent  me  money  to  get  my  discharge  and 
take  me  home.  I  was  just  going  to  the  commanding  officer 
to  make  my  application  when  Rutherford  rode  into  camp.  It 
was  evidently  something  very  important,  for  his  horse  fell  dead 
as  he  drew  rein.  So  I  waited  to  hear  the  news,  and  found 
that  our  troop  was  ordered  to  mount  instantly  to  ride  to  the 
rescue  of  a  party  of  settlers  and  cow-boys  who  were  besieged 
by  the  Indians. 

"  You  may  guess  I  dropped  my  letter  into  my  pocket  and 
said  nothing  about  it.  We  have  done  a  good  deal  of  scouting, 
and  had  two  or  three  paltry  skirmishes  with  the  Indians,  but 
nothing  worth  talking  about ;  and  this  seemed,  from  what 
Rutherford  said,  to  be  likely  to  be  a  regular  battle,  and  so, 
you  see,  here  I  am.  It  has  been  a  jolly  wind-up  for  my  sol- 
diering. And  to  think  that  you  should  be  one  of  the  party 
we  have  ridden  something  like  three  hundred  miles  to  rescue  ! 
Now  tell  me  all  about  yourself." 

At  this  moment  the  trumpet  to  saddle  sounded. 

"I  will  tell  you  as  we  ride  along,"  Hugh  said.  "I  don't 
suppose  there  will  be  any  particular  order  kept  on  our  way 
back." 

Five  minutes  later  the  whole  party  were  cantering  down  the 
valley.  They  did  not  draw  rein  until  late  in  the  afternoon, 
and  then  halted  on  the  banks  of  the  Canadian.  A  strong  cor- 
don of  sentries  was  posted  that  night,  but  there  were  no  signs 
of  Indians,  and  the  next  day  the  party  reached  one  of  the 
ranche  stations. 

During  the  two  days'  march  and  at  the  camp  Hugh  and 
Luscombe  had  kept  together,  the  latter  having  obtained  per- 
mission from  his  officer  to  fall  out  of  the  ranks,  upon  his  telling 
him  that  one  of  the  cow-boys  was  an  old  friend  who  had  come 
with  him  from  Europe. 

"  I  shall  be  off  in  a  month  or  two,"  Luscombe  said  when  they 


266  "I    AM    GOING    IN   FOR   FATTED   CALF." 

parted  that  evening.  "  I  expect  there  are  formalities  to  be 
gone  through  here  just  as  there  are  in  England.  You  are  quite 
sure  there  is  no  chance  of  your  going  home  with  me  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure.  I  have  another  three  years  to  stop  out  here 
yet,  and  then  I  can  go  back  and  claim  my  own.  I  wrote  to 
Randolph,  my  trustee  you  know,  to  tell  him  I  am  alive  and 
well,  and  very  glad  that  I  did  not  kill  that  uncle  of  mine,  and 
saying  that  I  shall  return  when  I  am  of  age,  but  not  before. 
What  do  you  mean  to  do,  Luscombe  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  settle  down,"  Luscombe  said.  "  I  can  tell  you 
a  year's  work  as  trooper  in  one  of  these  Yankee  forts  is  about 
enough  to  make  a  man  sick  of  soldiering.  I  have  eaten  the 
bread  of  adversity,  and  very  hard  bread  it  is  too,  and  there  is 
mighty  little  butter  on  it.  I  am  going  in  for  fatted  calf  when 
I  go  back,  and  am  quite  prepared  to  settle  down  into  a  tradi- 
tional squire,  to  look  after  fat  beeves,  become  interested  in 
turnips,  and  to  be  a  father  to  my  people.  Well,  anyhow,  Hugh, 
you  will  let  me  know  when  you  come  back  to  England.  You 
know  my  address  ;  and  as  soon  as  you  have  kicked  that  uncle 
of  yours  out,  and  have  squared  matters  generally,  you  must 
come  straight  to  me.  You  will  be  sure  of  the  heartiest  welcome. 
The  governor  is  a  capital  old  boy,  and  if  he  did  cut  up  rusty, 
the  wonder  is  he  didn't  do  it  long  before.  My  mother  is  a  dear 
old  lady,  and  the  girls — there  are  two  of  them — are  first-rate 
girls ;  and  the  youngest,  by  the  way,  is  just  about  the  right  age 
for  you.  She  was  fourteen  when  I  came  away." 

Hugh  laughed. 

"  I  shall  very  likely  bring  home  an  Indian  squaw  or  a  Mexi- 
can, so  we  won't  build  on  that,  Luscombe ;  but  when  I  go  back 
to  England  you  shall  hear  of  me,  and  I  accept  the  invitation 
beforehand." 

On  the  following  morning  the  party  broke  up.  The  troops 
started  back  for  the  fort.  Steve  Rutherford  and  the  cow-boys 
rode  for  a  time  south-west,  and  then  worked  their  way  over 


A  WELCOME   HOME.  267 

the  foot-hills  and  came  down  into  the  plains  of  Texas,  and  after 
a  week's  travel  returned  to  the  village  from  which  they  had 
started.  It  had  already  begun  to  rise  from  its  ruins.  Waggon- 
loads  of  lumber  had  been  brought  up  from  below,  and  there 
was  no  lack  of  willing  hands  from  other  scattered  settlements 
to  aid  in  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  houses.  Little  attention 
was  paid  to  the  party  as  they  rode  up  from  the  plains,  for  it 
was  not  on  that  side  that  a  watch  had  been  kept  up  for  their 
return,  and  indeed  the  eyes  of  the  survivors  had  almost  ceased 
to  turn  towards  the  mountains,  for  hope  had  well-nigh  died 
out,  and  it  had  been  regarded  as  certain  that  the  whole  party 
had  been  cut  off  and  massacred  by  the  Indians. 

As  soon,  however,  as  the  news  spread  that  there  were  women 
among  the  approaching  troop,  axes,  saws,  and  hammers  were 
thrown  down,  and  there  was  a  rush  to  meet  them.  The 
scene  was  an  affecting  one,  as  mothers  clasped  daughters  and 
women  embraced  their  husbands,  whom  they  had  never  thought 
to  see  again.  The  cow-boys  were  pressed  to  stay  there  for  the 
night,  but  they  refused  as  they  were  anxious  to  return  to  the 
ranche,  from  which  they  had  been  absent  more  than  three  weeks. 
Fortunately,  the  busy  season  was  almost  over  when  they  left, 
and  they  knew  that  there  were  enough  hands  on  the  ranche  to 
look  after  the  cattle  during  their  absence.  On  the  way  back 
Broncho  Harry  said  to  Hugh  : 

"  I  expect,  Hugh,  a  good  many  of  us  will  be  getting  our 
tickets  before  long.  They  don't  keep  on  more  than  half  their 
strength  through  the  winter.  What  are  you  thinking  of  doing? 
If  you  would  like  to  stop  on  I  will  speak  to  the  boss.  I  reckon 
I  shall  have  charge  of  an  outfit  this  winter,  and  can  manage  for 
you  and  Stumpy." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Broncho,  but,  as  I  have  told  you 
often,  I  don't  want  to  stop.  I  have  had  a  season's  life  as  a 
cow-boy,  but  I  have  no  idea  of  sticking  to  it,  and  mean  to  have 
a  try  at  something  else.  I  intend  to  go  back  to  England  when 


268  "A   HARD   LIFE,    BUT  A   GRAND  ONE." 

I  am  twenty-one.  I  have  some  property  there,  and  have  no 
need  to  work.  I  got  into  a  scrape  at  home  with  the  man  who 
is  my  guardian,  and  don't  care  about  turning  up  until  he  has 
no  longer  any  authority  over  me." 

"Waal,  you  know  your  own  business,  Lightning.  It  is  a 
pity,  for  in  another  year  you  would  make  one  of  the  best  hands 
on  the  plains." 

"  If  I  were  to  stay  for  another  year  I  expect  I  should  stay 
for  good,  Harry.  It  is  a  hard  life,  a  terribly  hard  life ;  but  it  is 
a  grand  one  for  all  that.  There  is  nothing  like  it  in  the  way 
of  excitement,  and  I  don't  wonder  that  men  who  once  take  to  it 
find  it  very  difficult  to  settle  down  to  anything  else  afterwards. 
Therefore,  you  see,  it  is  just  as  well  to  stop  before  one  gets  too 
fond  of  it.  I  know  I  shall  always  look  back  upon  this  as  the 
jolliest  time  of  my  life,  and  I  am  lucky  to  have  gone  through 
it  without  having  been  damaged  by  a  cow,  or  having  my  neck 
broken  by  a  broncho,  or  being  shot  by  an  Indian.  Royce  has 
made  up  his  mind  to  go  with  me,  and  as  soon  as  we  get  our 
discharge  we  shall  make  our  way  to  New  Mexico,  and  perhaps 
down  into  Arizona ;  but  of  course  that  must  depend  upon  other 
things." 

Upon  reaching  the  station  they  found  that,  as  Harry  had 
predicted,  hands  were  already  being  discharged.  The  manager 
said,  when  they  went  to  him  and  told  him  that  they  wished 
to  leave,  "  Well,  I  had  intended  to  keep  you  both  on  for  the 
winter ;  but  of  course  if  you  wish  to  go,  there  is  an  end  of  it, 
and  there  are  so  many  anxious  to  be  kept  on  that  a  man  in  my 
position  feels  almost  grateful  to  those  who  voluntarily  afford 
vacancies." 

There  were  very  hearty  adieus  between  Hugh  and  Royce 
and  Broncho  Harry,  Long  Tom,  and  the  others  who  had  been 
their  close  companions  for  months.  Then  they  mounted  and 
rode  off  from  the  station.  They  had  heard  from  a  man  who 
had  just  arrived  that  a  large  waggon-train  was  on  the  point  of 


WITH  THE   WAGGON   TEAMS.  269 

starting  from  Decatur  for  Santa  Fe".  It  was  composed  of  several 
parties  who  had  been  waiting  until  a  sufficient  force  was  collected 
to  venture  across  the  Indian  country.  There  were  several 
waggon-trains  going  with  supplies  for  the  troops  stationed  at 
the  chain  of  forts  along  the  line.  Others  had  goods  for  Santa 
Fe"  ;  while  a  third  was  freighted  with  machinery  and  stores  for 
mining  enterprises  farther  south  in  New  Mexico. 

It  took  Royce  and  Hugh  a  week  to  traverse  the  country  to 
Decatur,  and  on  arriving  there  they  heard  that  the  teams  had 
started  two  days  before.  They  waited  a  day  at  Decatur  to  buy 
a  pack-horse  and  the  necessary  stores  for  their  journey,  and 
then  set  out.  In  two  days  they  overtook  the  train,  which 
consisted  of  forty  waggons.  Learning  which  man  had  been 
selected  as  the  leader  of  the  party  they  rode  up  to  him. 

"We  are  going  to  Santa  Fe","  Royce  said.  "We  are  both 
good  shots  and  hunters,  and  we  propose  to  travel  with  you. 
We  are  ready  to  scout  and  bring  in  game,  if  you  will  supply  us 
with  other  food." 

"  That's  a  bargain,"  the  man  said  briefly,  by  no  means  sorry 
at  the  addition  of  strength  to  the  righting  force.  "  I  reckon  you 
will  earn  your  grub.  They  say  the  Injuns  air  on  the  war-path." 

"  They  are  right  enough  there,"  Royce  said.  "  We  have  been 
engaged  in  a  fight  with  a  band  of  the  Comanches  who  made 
a  raid  down  on  a  little  settlement  named  Gainsford,  killed  a 
score  of  settlers,  and  carried  off  five  women.  We  got  together 
a  band  from  the  ranche  we  were  working  on  and  went  after 
them,  and  we  had  some  pretty  tough  fighting  before  we  got 
through." 

"Waal,  you  will  just  suit  us,"  the  man  said.  "  I  hear  pretty 
near  all  the  tribes- are  up,  but  I  doubt  whether  they  will  venture 
to  attack  a  party  like  this." 

"I  don't  think  they  will  if  we  keep  together  and  are 
cautious,"  Royce  said.  "  You  have  forty  waggons ;  that,  at  two 
men  to  a  waggon,  makes  eighty." 


270  A   LONG   JOURNEY. 

"  That's  so,"  the  other  agreed  ;  "  and  what  with  cooks  and 
bosses  and  one  thing  and  another,  we  mount  up  to  pretty  nigh 
a  hundred,  and  of  course  every  man  has  got  a  rifle  along  with 
him." 

"  That  makes  a  strong  party,"  Royce  said,  "  and  with  the 
advantage  you  will  have  of  fighting  from  the  cover  of  the 
waggons,  I  don't  think  the  Red-skins  would  dare  to  attack  you. 
We  have  got  a  pack  animal  along  with  us,  as  you  see,  with  our 
blankets  and  things.  We  will  hitch  him  to  the  tail  of  one  of 
the  waggons." 

The  man  nodded. 

"  I  have  got  four  teams  here  of  my  own,"  he  said,  "  and  a 
spare  man  who  cooks  and  so  on  for  my  outfit,  so  you  may  as 
well  jine  in  with  that.  They  air  the  last  four  waggons  in  the 
line." 

The  journey  occupied  six  weeks.  They  kept  at  first  up  the 
west  fork  of  the  Trinity  River,  crossing  a  patch  of  heavily 
timbered  country.  Then  they  struck  the  main  fork  of  Brazos 
River  and  followed  it  for  some  distance ;  then  took  the  track 
across  to  the  Rio  Pecos.  It  led  them  by  a  toilsome  journey 
across  an  elevated  and  arid  country  without  wood  or  water, 
save  that  which  they  obtained  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Double 
Mountain  River  and  from  four  small  streams  which  united  lower 
down  to  form  the  north  fork  of  the  Colorado  River. 

From  this  point  until  they  reached  the  Pecos,  a  distance  of 
over  a  hundred  miles,  there  was  no  water.  At  ordinary  times 
caravans  would  not  have  followed  this  route,  but  would  have 
kept  far  to  the  north.  But  they  would  have  been  exposed  to 
attacks  by  the  Comanches  and  Utes,  so  in  spite  of  their  strength 
they  thought  it  prudent  to  follow  the  longer  and  safer  route. 
With  a  view  to  this  journey  across  the  desert  each  waggon 
carried  an  empty  hogshead  slung  behind  it.  These  were  filled 
at  the  last  springs,  and  the  water,  doled  out  sparingly,  sufficed 
to  enable  the  men  and  animals  to  subsist  for  the  five  days  the 


A    WATERLESS    DESERT.  271 

journey  occupied,  although  the  allowance  was  so  small  that  the 
sufferings  of  the  cattle  were  severe.  Up  to  this  time  Hugh 
and  Royce  had  succeeded  almost  daily  in  bringing  a  couple  of 
stags  into  camp,  but  game  was  scarce  in  this  parched  and  arid 
region,  where  not  only  water  was  wanting,  but  grass  was  scanty 
in  the  extreme,  and  the  only  sustenance  for  deer  was  the  herbage 
of  the  scattered  bushes. 

They  therefore  rode  with  the  caravan,  and  aided  it  as  far  as 
they  could.  The  waggons,  which  were  of  great  size,  were  gener- 
ally drawn  by  twelve  oxen  or  mules,  and  in  crossing  the  deep 
sand  it  was  sometimes  necessary  to  use  the  teams  of  two  waggons 
to  drag  one  over  the  sand-hills.  Sometimes  even  this  failed  to 
move  them,  and  the  mounted  men  fastened  their  ropes  to  the 
spokes  of  the  wheels,  and  so  helped  to  get  the  waggons  out  of 
the  holes  into  which  they  had  sunk. 

"  I  would  rather  run  the  risks  of  a  fight  with  the  Indians," 
Hugh  said  to  Royce  on  the  last  day  of  their  journey  across  the 
plain,  "than  have  to  perform  this  frightful  journey.  The 
heat  is  simply  awful,  and  I  feel  as  if  I  could  drink  a  bucket  of 
water." 

"  You  will  get  plenty  of  water  to-night,  Hugh.  The  Pecos  is 
a  good  big  river.  I  believe  the  animals  smell  it  already.  Look 
how  hard  they  are  pulling.  The  drivers  crack  their  whips  and 
shout  as  usual,  but  the  beasts  are  doing  their  best  without  that. 
We  have  been  very  lucky  that  we  have  had  no  sand-storms  or 
anything  to  delay  us  and  confuse  us  as  to  the  track.  Waal,  we 
are  over  the  worst  of  the  journey  now ;  except  the  Guadalupe 
Pass  there  ain't  much  trouble  between  the  Pecos  and  El  Paso. 
Once  there  we  are  on  the  Rio  Grande  all  the  way  up  to  Santa  Fe* ." 

Towards  the  afternoon  the  ground  became  harder,  and  the 
animals  quickened  their  pace  almost  to  a  trot,  straining  at  the 
ropes  with  heaving  flanks,  while  their  tongues  hanging  out  and 
their  blood-shot  eyes  showed  how  they  were  suffering.  An 
hour  before  sunset  a  shout  broke  from  the  men  as,  on  ascending 


272  TEAMSTERS. 

a  slight  rise,  the  river  lay  before  them.  The  instant  they 
reached  its  bank  and  the  animals  were  loosed,  they  rushed  in  a 
body  into  the  stream  and  plunged  their  nostrils  deeply  into  the 
water,  while  the  men,  ascending  the  banks  a  short  distance,  lay 
down  at  the  edge  of  the  stream  and  satisfied  their  thirst.  Five 
minutes  later  all  had  stripped  and  were  enjoying  a  bath. 

Hugh  had  been  much  struck  with  the  difference  between 
the  teamsters  and  the  cow-boys ;  the  former  did  not  wear  the 
chaperajos  or  leather  overalls  with  fringed  seams,  or  the  bright 
silk  neck  handkerchiefs  or  flat-brimmed  hats  of  the  cow-boys. 
Their  attire  was  sober  rather  than  bright.  They  wore  soft  hats, 
with  slouched  brims,  and  great  cow-hide  boots.  There  was  none 
of  that  dashing,  reckless  air  that  characterized  the  cow-boys,  or 
the  quick  alertness  that  showed  the  readiness  to  cope  with  any 
emergency  that  might  occur.  Nor  in  the  camp  at  night  was 
there  any  trace  of  the  light-hearted  gaiety  which  showed  itself 
in  song,  laughter,  and  dance  in  the  gatherings  round  the  cow- 
boys' fires.  They  were  for  the  most  part  silent  and  moody 
men,  as  if  the  dull  and  monotonous  labour  in  which  they  were 
engaged,  and  the  months  of  solitary  journeying,  with  nothing 
to  break  the  silence  save  the  cracking  of  the  whips  and  the 
shouts  of  encouragement  to  the  animals,  had  left  their  mark 
upon  them.  Hugh  and  Royce  agreed  cordially  that,  with  all 
its  dangers  and  its  unmeasured  toil,  they  would  infinitely  prefer 
the  life  of  a  cow-boy,  short  as  it  might  be,  to  that  of  a  teamster, 
even  with  the  prospect  of  acquiring  a  competence  upon  which 
to  settle  down  in  old  age. 

Two  days'  halt  was  made  on  the  banks  of  the  Pecos  to  rest 
the  foot-sore  animals.  Then  the  journey  was  recommenced,  the 
river  crossed  at  a  shallow  ford,  and  its  banks  followed  until, 
after  three  days'  journey,  a  small  stream  running  in  from  the 
west  was  reached.  Hence  the  route  lay  due  west  to  El  Paso. 
The  country  was  flat  until  they  reached  the  Guadalupe  range 
of  hills,  which  they  crossed  by  a  winding  and  difficult  pass,  each 


"WHAT  AIR  YOU  THINKING  OF  DOING?"  273 

waggon  being  taken  up  by  three  teams.  Then  skirting  the 
Alimos  Hills  they  crossed  the  Sierra  Hueco  by  the  pass  of  the 
same  name,  which  was  far  easier  than  that  of  Guadalupe,  and 
then  one  long  day's  march  took  them  down  to  Fort  Bliss,  which 
stands  on  the  Rio  Grande,  facing  the  town  of  El  Paso.  They 
had  now  arrived  at  the  borders  of  civilization.  Mexican 
villages  and  towns,  and  United  States  posts  were  scattered 
thickly  along  the  course  of  the  river  all  the  way  from  El  Paso 
up  to  Santa  Fe\ 

"What  air  you  thinking  of  doing,  young  fellow?"  the  head 
of  the  party  asked  Hugh  as  they  sat  by  the  fire  of  the  encamp- 
ment a  short  distance  out  of  El  Paso.  "You  see  we  shall 
kinder  break  up  here.  I  go  with  my  teams  to  the  forts  along 
the  river,  and  then  strike  out  east  to  the  outlying  posts.  About 
half  my  freight  is  ammunition  and  such  like.  Waal,  then, 
pretty  nigh  half  the  waggons  go  up  to  the  mines.  They  have 
powder,  tools,  and  machinery.  One  or  two  stay  here.  They 
bring  hardware  and  store  goods  of  all  sorts  for  this  town ;  the 
rest  go  up  to  Santa  Fe".  Now  what  air  you  thinking  of  doing? 
You  can  make  up  your  mind  to  stay  here,  or  you  kin  go  up 
to  Santa  Fe.  You  told  me  you  had  a  fancy  for  jinin'  some 
prospecting  party  and  going  out  west  into  Arizona.  I  doubt 
whether  you  will  find  anyone  much  bent  on  that  job  at  present, 
seeing  as  how  the  Injuns  is  stirring,  though  I  don't  know  that 
makes  much  difference,  seeing  they  is  always  agin  anyone  going 
into  what  they  calls  their  country. 

"  Anyhow,  the  miners  will  all  have  to  work  with  a  pick  in 
one  hand  and  a  rifle  in  the  other.  You  have  got  the  Apaches 
here,  and  they  air  wuss  than  the  Comanches.  The  Comanches 
have  had  to  deal  with  western  hunters  and  pioneers,  and  know 
that  there  ain't  much  to  be  got  out  of  them  but  lead,  so  beyond 
stealing  cattle  they've  got  into  the  way  of  being  mostly  quiet, 
though  now  and  agin  they  break  out,  just  as  they  have  at 
present.  Now  the  Apache  has  had  to  deal  all  along  with 


274  "DON'T  YOU  BELIEVE  THEM." 

Mexicans,  and  he  has  pretty  good  reason  for  thinking  that  he 
is  a  much  better  fighter  than  the  white  man.  He  has  been 
raiding  on  the  Mexican  villages  for  hundreds  of  years,  burning 
and  killing  and  carrying  off  their  women  and  gals,  and  I  guess 
thar  is  a  pretty  good  sprinkling  of  Mexican  blood  in  his  veins, 
though  that  don't  make  him  better  or  wuss,  as  far  as  I  know. 
Still,  take  them  altogether,  they  air  the  savagest  and  hardest 
tribe  of  Red-skins  on  this  continent. 

"  However,  if  you  like  to  go  prospecting  among  thar  hills 
and  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  your  scalp,  that  is  your  business  ; 
but  if  you  do,  this  is  the  place  to  start  from,  and  not  Santa  Fe\ 
There  is  gold  pretty  nigh  everywhere  in  the  valley  of  the 
Gila,  and  that  lies  a  bit  to  the  north-west  from  here.  At  any 
rate,  it  seems  to  me  that  this  is  the  place  that  you  are  most 
likely  to  fall  in  with  parties  starting  out.  But  let  me  give  you 
a  warning,  lad.  You  will  find  this  town  is  pretty  nigh  full  of 
gold-miners,  and  you  won't  find  one  of  them  who  won't  tell 
you  that  he  knows  of  some  place  that's  a  sartin  fortune  up 
among  the  hills.  Now,  don't  you  believe  them.  Don't  you  go 
and  put  your  money  into  any  job  like  that.  If  you  find  a  party 
being  got  up,  and  others  think  it  good  enough  to  jine,  of  course 
you  can  chip  in,  but  don't  you  go  and  find  the  money  for  the 
whole  show." 

"There  is  no  fear  of  that,"  Hugh  laughed.  "I  had  about 
five-and-twenty  pounds  when  I  went  on  to  the  ranche,  and  I 
have  got  that  and  six  months'  pay  in  my  belt.  That  won't  go 
far  towards  fitting  out  an  expedition." 

"  No,  it  won't,"  the  teamster  agreed.  "  It  will  be  enough 
for  you  to  be  able  to  chip  in  with  the  others,  but,  as  you  say,  not 
to  stand  the  whole  racket.  Waal,  what  do  you  think?  " 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  advice,"  Hugh 
said,  "  and  I  think  we  can't  do  better  than  stay  about  here 
for  a  bit  at  any  rate.  What  do  you  say,  Royce?  " 

"  It  is  all  one  to  me,"  Royce  replied ;  "  but  there  is  no  doubt 


AT  EL  PASO.  275 

that  El  Paso  is  as  good  a  place  as  any,  if  not  better,  for  looking 
round." 

"  Then  that  is  settled,  Bill ;  and  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have 
had  pretty  nigh  enough  riding  for  the  present,  and  sha'n't  be 
sorry  for  a  fortnight's  rest." 

"  Same  here,"  Bill  said.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  was  getting  part  of 
the  h'orse,  and  should  like  to  get  about  on  foot  for  a  bit  so  as 
to  feel  that  I  hadn't  quite  lost  the  use  of  my  legs." 

Accordingly  the  next  morning  they  bade  good-bye  to  their 
comrades  of  the  last  two  months,  and  mounting,  rode  into  El 
Paso. 

It  was  a  town  of  some  size,  and  purely  Mexican  in  its  features 
and  appearance.  The  inhabitants  almost  all  belonged  to  that 
nationality,  but  in  the  street  were  a  considerable  number  of  red- 
shirted  miners  and  teamsters.  Hugh  and  his  companions  rode 
to  one  of  the  principal  haciendas,  and  handed  over  the  three 
horses  to  a  lounging  Mexican. 

"  They  have  been  fed  this  morning,"  Royce  said.  "  We  will 
come  in  and  give  them  some  corn  in  two  hours." 

"  I  will  see  after  Prince,"  Hugh  said,  patting  his  horse's  neck. 
"  Don't  you  be  afraid  that  I  am  going  to  leave  you  to  the  care 
of  strangers.  We  have  been  together  too  long  for  that,  old 
boy." 

They  then  went  into  the  hotel,  and  ordered  a  room  and 
breakfast. 

"  I  don't  care  much  for  this  Mexican  stuff  with  its  oil  and 
garlic,"  Royce  said  as  they  had  finished  the  meal. 

"  Don't  you  ?  I  call  it  first-rate.  After  living  on  fried  beef 
and  broiled  beef  for  over  a  year,  it  is  a  comfort  to  get  hold 
of  vegetables.  These  beans  were  delicious,  and  the  coffee  is  a 
treat." 

"It  isn't  bad  for  one  meal,"  Royce  admitted  reluctantly,, 
"  but  you'll  get  pretty  sick  of  Mexican  cookery  after  a  bit,  and 
long  for  a  chunk  of  plain  beef  hot  from  the  fire." 


276  A  MEXICAN   TOWN. 

"  Perhaps  I  shall,"  Hugh  laughed,  "  but  I  think  it  will  be 
some  little  time  first.  Now  let  us  take  a  stroll  round  the 
town." 

It  was  all  new  to  Hugh.  He  had  seen  the  Mexican  women 
in  their  native  dress  in  the  villages  among  the  hills,  but  here 
they  indulged  in  much  more  finery  than  the  peasant  girls.  The 
poblanas  were  all  dressed  in  gay  colours,  with  a  scarf  or  rebozo 
over  their  heads,  with  gold  pins  and  ornaments  in  their  glossy 
black  hair,  and  with  earrings,  necklaces,  and  generally  bracelets 
of  the  same  metal.  No  small  share  of  a  peasant's  wealth  is 
exhibited  on  the  persons  of  his  womankind.  They  wore  short 
skirts,  generally  of  red  or  green,  trimmed  with  rows  of  black 
braid,  while  a  snow-white  petticoat  below  and  a  white  chemisette 
partly  hidden  by  a  gay  handkerchief  over  the  shoulders  com- 
pleted the  costume.  They  were  almost  all  barefooted,  but  Hugh 
observed  that  their  feet  and  ankles  were  exceedingly  small  and 
well  formed,  as  were  their  hands  and  plump  brown  arms. 

Here  and  there  were  a  good  many  of  the  upper  class  half 
shrouded  in  black  mantles,  wearing  the  Spanish  mantilla,  worn 
so  as  partly  to  conceal  the  face,  though  it  needed  but  the 
slightest  movement  to  draw  it  aside  when  they  wished  to  re- 
cognize anyone  they  met.  Most  of  these  were  on  their  way 
to  a  church,  whose  bell  was  pealing  out  a  summons,  and  carried 
their  mass-book  in  one  hand  and  a  fan  in  the  other.  Many 
a  look  of  admiration  was  bestowed  by  the  merry  peasant  girls 
upon  Hugh  as  he  walked  along.  He  was  now  eighteen  and 
had  attained  his  full  height,  and  his  life  on  horseback  gave  an 
easy  and  lissom  appearance  to  his  tall,  powerful  figure.  His 
work  among  the  cattle  had  given  to  his  face  something  of  the 
keen,  watchful  expression  that  characterizes  the  cow-boys,  but 
not  to  a  sufficient  extent  to  materially  affect  the  frank,  pleasant 
look  that  was  his  chief  characteristic. 

His  gray  eyes,  and  the  light-brown  hair  with  the  slight  tinge 
of  gold  in  it,  typical  of  the  hardy  north-country  race,  were  very 


IN   THEIR   BEST.  277 

attractive  to  the  dark-skinned  Mexicans.  He  and  his  com- 
panions had  both  donned  their  best  attire  before  leaving  camp, 
and  this  differed  but  slightly  from  that  of  the  Mexican  vaqueros, 
and  though  sufficiently  gay  to  attract  general  attention  else- 
where, passed  unnoticed  at  El  Paso.  The  western  cow-boy  was 
not  an  unusual  figure  there,  for  many  of  those  discharged  dur- 
ing the  winter  were  in  the  habit  of  working  down  upon  the  New 
Mexican  ranches  and  taking  temporary  employment  with  the 
native  cattle-raisers,  by  whom  their  services  were  much  valued, 
especially  where  the  ranches  were  in  the  neighbourhood  of  those 
worked  by  white  cow-boys.  These  in  any  disputes  as  to  cattle 
with  the  Mexican  vaqueros  were  accustomed  to  carry  matters 
with  a  high  hand.  But  the  white  cow-boys  in  Mexican  service 
were  just  as  ready  to  fight  for  their  employers'  rights  as  were 
those  on  the  American  ranches,  and  the  herds  were  safe  from 
depredation  when  under  their  charge. 

There  were  many  priests  in  the  streets,  and,  numerous  as  they 
were,  they  were  always  saluted  with  the  deepest  respect  by  the 
peasant  women. 

"  It  is  wonderful  how  much  women  think  of  their  priests," 
Royce  observed  philosophically.  "  Back  east  it  used  to  make  me 
pretty  well  sick,  when  I  was  a  young  chap,  to  hear  them  go  on 
about  their  ministers  ;  but  these  Mexican  women  go  a  lot  farther. 
There  is  nothing  they  wouldn't  do  for  these  fat  padres." 

"No.  But  they  are  not  all  fat,  Royce,"  Hugh  said.  "I 
acknowledge  they  look  for  the  most  part  plump  and  well-fed, 
and  upon  the  best  of  terms  with  themselves,  as  well  they  may 
be,  seeing  how  much  they  are  respected." 

"They  have  got  a  pretty  easy  life,  I  reckon,"  Royce  said 
contemptuously..  "  They  have  to  say  mass  two  or  three  times 
a  day,  sit  in  a  box  listening  to  the  women's  confessions,  and 
fatten  upon  their  gifts  and  offerings." 

"At  any  rate,  Royce,  the  people  here  are  religious.  See, 
there  are  as  many  peasants  as  peasant  women  going  into  that 


278  "IT'S  NOT   IN   HUMAN  NATURE." 

church.  Whatever  may  be  said  about  it,  religion  goes  for  a 
good  deal  more  in  a  Catholic  country  than  in  a  Protestant.  It 
is  a  pity  there  is  not  more  religion  among  the  cow-boys." 

"  How  are  we  to  get  it?  "  Royce  protested.  "  Once  or  twice 
a  year  a  minister  may  arrive  at  a  camp  and  preach,  but  that  is 
about  all.  We  always  give  him  a  fair  show,  and  if  any  fellow 
wur  to  make  a  muss  it  would  be  worse  for  him.  I  don't  say 
as  cow-boys  don't  use  pretty  hard  language  among  themselves, 
but  I  will  say  this,  that  if  a  minister  or  a  woman  comes  to 
camp  they  will  never  hear  a  swear  word  if  they  stop  there  a 
week.  No,  sir.  Cow-boys  know  how  to  behave  when  they 
like,  and  a  woman  might  go  through  the  ranches  from  end  to 
end  in  Texas  without  being  insulted." 

"  I  know  that,  Royce.  The  point  is,  if  they  can  go  without 
using  what  you  call  swear  words  when  a  woman  is  among  them, 
why  can't  they  always  do  so? " 

"  It  is  all  very  fine  to  talk,  Hugh ;  but  when  you  get  on  a 
bucking  broncho  that  sends  you  flying  about  ten  yards  through 
the  air,  and  you  come  down  kerplump,  I  never  seed  a  man 
yet  as  would  pick  himself  up  and  speak  as  if  he  wur  in  a 
church.  No,  sir ;  it's  not  in  human  nature." 

When  they  got  back  to  the  hotel  Hugh  observed  that  ques- 
tioning glances  were  cast  at  them  by  several  men  who  were 
lounging  about  the  steps.  Royce  observed  it  also. 

"What  have  those  fellows  got  in  their  heads,  I  wonder?" 
he  said.  "  Do  they  reckon  we  are  two  bad,  bold  men  who  have 
been  holding  up  some  Mexican  village,  or  do  they  take  us  for 
horse-thieves?  There  is  something  wrong,  Hugh,  you  bet." 

"  They  certainly  didn't  look  friendly,  Royce,  though  I  am 
sure  I  don't  know  what  it  is  about.  You  haven't  been  winking 
at  any  of  their  women,  have  you?  " 

"  G'ar  long  with  yer  !  "  Royce  laughed.  "  As  if  any  of  them 
would  look  at  a  little  chap  like  me  while  I  am  walking  along 
of  you.  If  there  has  been  any  winking  it's  you  as  has  done  it." 


"THAR'S   SOMETHING  WRONG." 

"  I  am  quite  innocent,  Royce,  I  assure  you.  Still  there  is 
something  wrong.  Well,  let  us  go  and  see  that  the  horses  are 
fed." 

There  were  five  or  six  men  in  the  yard.  They  were  talking 
excitedly  together  when  Hugh  and  his  companion  came  out  of 
the  hotel,  but  they  were  at  once  silent,  and  stood  looking  at 
them  as  they  crossed  the  yard  and  went  into  the  stable. 

"  Thar's  something  wrong,"  Royce  repeated.  "  If  my  horse 
wur  as  good  as  yours,  Hugh,  I  should  say  let's  settle  up  quietly 
and  ride  out  and  make  a  bolt ;  but  they  would  overtake  me  in 
no  time." 

"That  would  never  do,  Royce.  I  don't  know  what  their 
suspicions  are,  but  they  would  be  confirmed  if  we  were  to  try 
to  escape,  and  if  they  overtook  us  the  chances  are  they  wouldn't 
give  us  much  time  for  explanations." 

"  You  are  right  there,  Hugh.  The  Mexicans  hates  the  whites. 
They  know  that  one  of  us  can  lick  any  three  of  them,  and  it  riles 
them  pretty  considerable.  They  don't  give  a  white  man  much 
show  if  they  get  their  hands  on  him." 

"  Well,  it  is  no  use  worrying  about  it,  Royce.  I  suppose  we 
shall  hear  sooner  or  later  what  it  is  all  about." 

Passing  through  the  hotel  they  took  their  seats  at  some  tables 
placed  in  the  shade  in  front  of  the  house,  and  there  sat  smoking 
and  talking  for  some  time. 

"  If  those  fellows  round  the  door  keep  on  looking  at  us  much 
longer,"  Royce  said,  "  I  shall  get  up  and  ask  them  what  they 
mean." 

"  Don't  do  that,  Royce.  It  would  only  bring  on  a  fight ;  that 
is  no  use  here." 

"  Waal,"  Royce  said  doggedly,  "  I  haven't  got  to  sit  here  to 
be  stared  at,  and  some  of  them  fellows  is  going  to  get  wiped  out 
if  they  go  on  at  it." 

"  We  are  sure  to  hear  before  long,  Royce.  See,  there  is  a 
knot  of  four  or  five  fellows  in  uniform  at  the  other  end  of  the 


280  "THE  AFFAIR  is  COMING  TO  A  CRISIS." 

square.  I  suppose  that  they  are  a  sort  of  policemen.  I  have 
seen  them  looking  this  way.  You  will  see  they  are  going  to 
arrest  us  presently,  and  then,  I  suppose,  we  shall  hear  all  about 
it." 

"  I  wish  we  had  Broncho  Harry  and  the  rest  of  our  outfit 
here,"  Royce  said.  "  We  would  clear  out  the  whole  town." 

Half  an  hour  later  there  was  a  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs,  and 
two  gentlemen,  followed  by  half  a  dozen  Mexican  vaqueros, 
rode  into  the  square  and  made  straight  for  the  hotel.  Simul- 
taneously the  guardians  of  the  peace  moved  across  the  square, 
and  there  was  a  stir  among  the  loungers  at  the  entrance  to  the 
hotel. 

"  The  affair  is  coming  to  a  crisis,  Royce  ! " 

One  of  the  Mexicans  was  an  elderly  man,  the  other  a  lad 
seventeen  or  eighteen  years  old.  The  latter  dismounted  and 
entered  the  hotel.  In  two  minutes  he  reappeared  and  spoke 
to  the  other,  who  also  dismounted,  and  after  a  word  or  two 
with  one  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  hotel,  and  a  short  conver- 
sation with  the  leader  of  the  party  of  civil  guards,  advanced  to 
the  table  at  which  Hugh  and  Royce  were  sitting.  He  saluted 
them  as  they  rose  to  their  feet.  Hugh  returned  the  salutation. 

"Senors,"  he  said  courteously,  in  very  fair  English,  "you 
have,  I  understand,  just  arrived  here,  having  accompanied  a 
waggon-train  across  the  deserts  from  Texas." 

"  It  is  perfectly  true,  senor,"  Hugh  replied.  "  Is  there  any- 
thing unusual  in  our  doing  so  ?  " 

"  By  no  means,"  the  Mexican  said.  "  The  matter  that  con- 
cerns me  is  that  one  of  you  is  riding  a  horse  which  belonged 
to  my  son,  Don  Estafan  Perales." 

"You  mean  the  bay?" 

The  Mexican  made  a  gesture  of  assent. 

"  I  purchased  that  horse  at  M'Kinney,  a  small  town  in  the 
north-east  of  Texas." 

"  May  I  ask  who  you  purchased  it  from  ?  " 


PRINCE'S  OWNER.  281 

€<  Certainly,  seiior.  It  must  have  passed  from  the  hands  of 
your  son  before  it  was  offered  for  sale  to  me.  I  bought  it  from 
two  men  whom  I  had  never  seen  before." 

A  little  crowd  had  gathered  behind  the  Mexican,  and  at  this 
answer  there  were  exclamations  of  "  A  likely  story  that !  "  and 
"  Death  to  the  horse-thieves  !  "  Two  men  in  mining  costume, 
the  one  a  tall,  powerfully-built  man  some  fifty  years  old,  the 
other  small  and  of  slight  figure,  with  snow-white  hair,  who  had 
just  strolled  up,  separated  themselves  from  the  rest  and  ranged 
themselves  by  Hugh's  side,  the  big  man  saying  in  Mexican : 

"  Softly,  senores,  softly.  You  ain't  neither  judges  nor  jury 
on  this  case,  and  me  and  my  mate  is  going  to  see  fair-play." 

"There  is  no  intention,  senor,  of  doing  anything  unfair,"  the 
Mexican  said.  "  The  matter  is  a  simple  one.  These  strangers 
have  just  ridden  in  here  with  a  horse  belonging  to  my  son. 
He  started  from  here  with  three  servants  and  a  party  going  to 
Texas.  This  was  upwards  of  eighteen  months  ago.  He  had 
business  at  New  York.  His  intention  was  to  spend  a  few 
weeks  in  Texas  hunting,  then  to  proceed  to  the  nearest  railway- 
station  and  take  train  to  New  York.  From  the  time  he  started 
we  have  never  heard  from  him.  Some  members  of  the  party 
he  accompanied  have  long  since  returned.  It  seems  that  he 
accompanied  them  until  they  had  passed  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
then  left  them  to  carry  out  his  intention  of  hunting.  We  have 
never  heard  of  him  since.  He  certainly  has  never  arrived  at 
New  York.  And  now  that  these  strangers  arrive  here  with  his 
horse,  which  was  recognized  as  soon  as  it  entered  the  stables,  I 
have  a  right  to  inquire  how  they  obtained  it." 

"  Surely,  senor,"  Hugh  said.  "  The  men  from  whom  I  bought 
it  were,  as  I  said,  strangers.  They  were  two  very  doubtful- 
looking  characters,  and  as  they  appeared  very  anxious  to  sell  the 
horse,  and  were  willing  to  part  with  it  considerably  under  its 
value,  my  opinion  was  that  undoubtedly  they  had  not  become 
possessed  of  it  honestly.  My  friend  here  was  with  me  at  the 


282  "THAT  is  PERFECTLY  SATISFACTORY." 

time,  and  the  only  terms  upon  which  I  would  purchase  it  and 
a  pack-horse  they  tyad  also  to  sell,  were  that  they  should  give 
me  a  formal  receipt  signed  in  the  presence  of  the  sheriff  and 
judge,  in  order  that,  should  I  at  any  time  come  across  the  owner 
of  the  animal,  I  should  be  in  a  position  to  prove  that  I  at  least 
had  come  by  it  honestly.  That  receipt  I  have  here ; "  and 
taking  a  small  leather  letter-case  from  his  pocket  he  produced 
the  receipt.  "  There  are  the  signatures,  senor,  and  the  official 
stamps  of  the  writers,  and  you  will  see  that  they  testify  also 
to  their  personal  knowledge  of  me  as  a  resident  of  the  town. 
I  may  add  that  it  is  certain  that  had  I  been  an  accomplice  of 
the  thieves  I  should  have  taken  good  care  not  to  bring  the 
horse  to  a  locality  where  he  would  be  at  once  recognized." 

The  Mexican  glanced  through  the  paper.  "  That  is  perfectly 
satisfactory,  senor,  and  I  must  apologize  for  having  for  a 
moment  entertained  suspicions  of  you.  Explain  this,  Carlos," 
he  said  to  his  son.  "I  would  have  further  talk  with  these 
gentlemen." 

The  young  Mexican  translated  in  his  own  language  the  effect 
of  what  had  passed,  and  the  little  crowd  speedily  dispersed, 
several  having  walked  away  as  soon  as  the  two  miners  sided 
with  the  accused,  as  a  fray  with  four  determined  men  armed 
with  revolvers  was  not  to  be  lightly  entered  upon.  The  miners 
were  also  turning  away  when  Hugh  said  to  the  Mexican,  "  Ex- 
cuse me  a  moment,  senor." 

"Thank  you  greatly,"  he  went  on,  turning  to  the  miners, 
"  for  siding  with  us.  We  are  strangers  here.  Will  you  let  us 
see  you  again,  and  have  a  talk  with  you  ?  At  present,  as  you 
see,  this  gentleman,  who  has  lost  his  son,  who  has  most  probably 
been  murdered  by  these  horse-thieves,  wants  to  question  me. 
Do  me  the  favour  to  come  in  this  evening  and  drink  a 
bottle  of  wine  with  us,  when  we  can  again  thank  you  for  your 
aid." 

"There  are  no  thanks  due,"  the  bigger  of  the  two  men  said. 


AN   INVITATION.  283 

"  Me  and  my  mate  know  nothing  of  the  affair,  but  seeing  two 
of  our  own  colour  facing  a  lot  of  these  Mexikins  we  naturally 
ranged  up  alongside  of  you  to  see  fair-play.  But  as  you  are 
strangers,  and  we  have  nothing  particular  to  do,  I  don't  mind 
if  we  come  in  and  have  a  talk  this  evening.  Eh,  mate  ?  " 

The  little  man  nodded,  and  the  two  walked  off  together. 
Hugh  then  turned  to  the  Mexican. 

"  Now,  sefior,  we  are  at  your  service." 

"Senors,"  he  said  courteously,  "my  name  is  Don  Ramon 
Perales.  My  hacienda  lies  three  miles  away ;  this  is  scarcely 
a  place  for  quiet  conversation.  I  am  anxious  to  learn  all  par- 
ticulars that  you  can  give  me  as  to  the  men  from  whom  you 
bought  the  horse.  May  I  ask  if  you  would  mount  your  horses 
and  ride  back  with  me? " 

"  With  pleasure,  sefior,"  Hugh  said.  "  Our  time  is  entirely 
our  own,  and  I  can  readily  understand  your  anxiety  to  hear 
all  you  can  about  this  matter." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A    MINING    EXPEDITION. 

IN  a  few  minutes  Hugh  and  Royce  remounted  and  joined  the 
two  Mexican  gentlemen,  and  set  out,  with  the  party  of 
vaqueros  riding  behind  them. 

"You  came  in  with  quite  a  strong  force,  Don  Ramon,"  Hugh 
said  smiling. 

"  It  might  have  been  necessary,"  the  Mexican  replied.  "  I 
could  not  tell  with  whom  I  had  to  deal.  Our  guard  do  not  care 
very  much  about  risking  their  skins,  especially  when  it  is  ? 
question  of  Texan  cow-boys,  who  have,  if  you  will  excuse  my 
saying  so,  a  terrible  reputation,  and  can  use  their  pistols  with 
a  skill  that  is  extraordinary.  I  could  not  guess  that  I  had  to 
do  with  gentlemen." 

"  There  is  nothing  that  way  about  me,  sefior  !  "  Royce  said 
abruptly.  "  I  am  a  cow-boy,  or  a  teamster,  or  a  miner,  or  any- 
thing that  comes  to  hand,  but  nary  a  claim  to  be  a  gentleman." 

"My  friend  is  a  good  fellow,  senor,  in  every  way,"  Hugh 
said,  "and  is  my  staunch  and  true  friend.  I  myself  am  an 
Englishman  who  has  come  out  to  enjoy  the  hunting  and  the 
rough  life  of  the  plains  of  the  West  for  a  few  years  before 
settling  down  at  home." 

"  And  now,  senor,"  the  Mexican  said  with  a  bow,  "  will  you 
let  me  begin  to  question  you,  for  I  am  full  of  anxiety  as  to  my 
unfortunate  son?  I  feared  before  that  he  was  lost  to  us  ;  I  fear 
now  even  more  than  before,  for  I  am  sure  that  he  would  never 


"WILL  YOU   DESCRIBE  THEM?"  285 

have  parted  with  his  horse,  which  he  had  reared  from  a  colt 
and  was  much  attached  to.  These  men  from  whom  you  bought 
it,  were  they  known  in  that  locality?" 

*'  No,"  Hugh  replied.  "  Wherever  they  came  from  they  did 
not  belong  to  that  corner  of  Texas,  for  neither  the  judge  nor 
the  sheriff  had  ever  seen  them  before.  Had  they  known  that 
they  were  bad  characters  they  would  have  arrested  them  and 
held  them  until  an  owner  was  found  for  the  horse  ;  but  as  they 
knew  nothing  against  them  they  did  not  feel  justified  in  doing 
so." 

"  Will  you  describe  them  to  me  ?  "  the  Mexican  said. 

"  They  were  men  of  between  thirty  and  forty.  From  their 
attire  they  might  have  been  hunters.  They  were  dressed  a 
good  deal  like  your  vaqueros :  they  wore  chaperajos  with  red 
sashes  around  their  waist,  and  flannel  shirts.  They  had  jackets 
with  silver  buttons,  which  you  don't  see  much  among  our  cow- 
boys on  the  plains,  and  broad,  soft,  felt  hats.  I  should  say  that 
one  was  a  half-breed — that  is  to  say,  half  Mexican,  half 
American.  Both  had  black  moustaches,  and  what  I  should 
call  hang-dog  faces." 

"  I  have  no  doubt,  from  your  description,"  Don  Ramon  said, 
"they  were  two  men  who  joined  the  caravan  a  day  or  two 
before  my  son  left  it.  These  men  said  they  were  hunters,  and 
I  was  told  that  my  son  engaged  them  to  accompany  him  while 
he  was  hunting,  to  act  as  guides,  and  show  him  the  best  places 
for  game.  They  were  described  to  me  by  some  of  the  party  that 
returned  here,  and  I  feared  at  the  time  that  if  evil  had  befallen 
him  it  was  through  them.  Now  that  you  tell  me  they  sold 
you  his  horse,  I  feel  but  too  certain  this  was  so." 

"  They  seemed  to  have  ridden  fast  and  far.  Their  own  horses 
and  the  bay  were  in  fair  condition,  sefior,  but  the  pack-horse 
was  very  poor.  The  men  were  evidently  in  great  haste  to  get 
away,  and  I  should  judge  from  this  that  if,  as  you  fear,  they 
murdered  your  son  and  his  three  servants,  they  probably  did  it 


286 

at  the  last  camping  place  before  they  arrived  at  M'Kinney. 
Had  they  done  it  when  far  out  on  the  plains  there  would  have 
been  no  good  reason  why  they  should  have  been  in  so  much 
haste ;  but  if  it  had  been  but  a  short  distance  away  they  might 
have  feared  that  someone  might  find  the  bodies  and  organize 
a  pursuit  at  once." 

"  Why  should  they  have  delayed  so  long  if  their  intention 
was  murder?  "  the  younger  Mexican  asked. 

"  That  I  cannot  say,  Don  Carlos.  They  may  have  fallen  in 
with  other  hunters  after  leaving  the  caravan,  and  these  may 
have  kept  with  them  all  the  time  they  were  out  on  the  plains, 
and  they  may  have  had  no  opportunity  of  carrying  out  their 
designs  till  the  party  separated ;  or  again,  your  brother's  attend- 
ants might  have  been  suspicious  of  them,  and  may  have  kept 
up  too  vigilant  a  watch  for  them  to  venture  on  an  attack  before. 
But  this  watch  may  have  been  relaxed  when  the  journey  was 
just  at  an  end,  and  it  seemed  to  them  that  then-  fears  were 
unfounded." 

"That  is  the  most  likely  explanation,"  Don  Ramon  said. 
"  They  were  three  picked  men ;  two  of  them  were  hunters, 
the  other  my  son's  body-servant.  It  is  likely  enough  that  the 
hunters  would  have  kept  alternate  watch  at  night  had  they 
suspected  these  fellows.  Those  two  were  to  have  remained  in 
charge  of  the  horses  at  the  town  where  my  son  took  rail,  and 
to  await  his  return  there ;  the  other  man  was  to  accompany  him 
to  New  York.  My  son  had  an  ample  supply  of  gold  for  his 
expenses,  and  I  fear  it  was  that  rather  than  the  horse  that 
attracted  the  scoundrels." 

They  were  by  this  time  approaching  a  large  and  handsome 
building,  standing  in  extensive  grounds.  As  they  halted  before 
it  a  number  of  peons  ran  out  and  took  the  horses.  Prince  had 
quickened  his  pace  as  he  neared  the  house,  and  had  given  a 
joyful  neigh  as  of  recognition.  When  Hugh  alighted,  the  horse, 
as  usual,  laid  his  muzzle  on  his  shoulder  to  receive  a  caress 


"WHAT  NEWS,  RAMON?"  287 

before  turning  away,  and  then,  without  waiting  for  one  of  the 
pedns  to  take  his  rein,  walked  away  towards  the  stables." 

"  I  see  he  is  fond  of  you,  seiior.  You  have  been  a  kind 
master  to  him." 

"  I  love  horses,"  Hugh  said,  "  and  Prince,  as  I  have  called 
him,  has  been  my  companion  night  and  day  for  eighteen  months. 
We  have  hunted  together,  and  roped-in  cattle,  and  fought 
Indians,  and  divided  out  last  crust  together." 

Don  Ramon  led  the  way  into  the  house,  and  then  into  a  room 
where  an  elderly  lady  and  two  young  ones  were  sitting.  They 
rose  as  he  entered. 

"What  news,  Ramon?  "  the  elderly  lady  asked. 

"Such  news  as  there  is  is  bad,  Maria.  These  caballeros, 
Don  Hugh  Tunstall  and — "  (he  hesitated  and  looked  at  Royce, 
with  whose  name  he  was  not  acquainted) .  "  Bill  Royce,  with- 
out any  Don  !  "  the  cow-boy  put  in.  The  Mexican  repeated  the 
name — "  have  been  good  enough  to  ride  over  here  with  me,  in 
order  that  you,  as  well  as  I,  might  question  them  as  to  what 
they  know  of  our  son.  Unhappily  they  know  little.  We 
were  not  misinformed.  Don  Hugh  has  indeed  our  son's  horse, 
but  he  bought  it,  as  he  has  proved  to  me,  from  two  strangers, 
who  tally  exactly  with  the  description  we  have  received  of  the 
two  hunters  who  left  the  caravan  with  our  son.  I  feared  all 
along  that  these  men  were  at  the  bottom  of  whatever  might  have 
befallen  Estafan.  I  fear  now  that  there  is  no  doubt  whatever 
about  it.  Caballeros,  this  is  my  wife,  Donna  Maria  Perales. 
These  are  my  two  daughters,  Dolores  and  Nina." 

For  an  hour  Hugh  and  his  companion  remained  answering 
the  questions  of  Donna  Perales ;  then  Hugh  rose,  feeling  that 
the  ladies  would  be  glad  to  be  alone  in  their  grief,  for  the 
confirmation  of  their  fears  respecting  Don  Estafan  had  brought 
their  loss  back  to  them  freshly.  Don  Ramon  and  his  son 
accompanied  them  to  the  door. 

"I  pray  you,"  the  former  said,  "that  if  at  any  time  you 


288  A  DELICATE   GIFT. 

come  upon  the  villains  you  give  them  in  custody.  I  and  my 
son  will  make  the  journey  to  appear  against  them,  however  far 
it  may  be." 

"  You  need  not  trouble  on  that  score,"  Royce  said.  "  If  we 
meet  them,  I  warrant  you  we  can  manage  their  business  with- 
out any  bother  of  judge  or  jury.  They  will  have  a  cow-boy 
trial,  and  after  the  evidence  Hugh  and  I  can  give,  you  may  be 
sure  that  a  rope  will  very  soon  settle  their  affair." 

"  I  must  ask  you,  Don  Ramon,"  Hugh  said,  "  to  lend  me 
a  horse  back  to  the  town,  and  to  send  a  vaquero  with  me  to 
bring  it  back." 

"  But  why,  sir?  "  the  Mexican  asked  in  surprise.  "  You  have 
your  own  horse." 

"  No,  senor,  Prince  is  not  mine.  He  was  your  son's,  and  is 
yours.  A  man  who  buys  stolen  property  is  liable  to  lose  it  if 
he  meets  the  proper  owner,  and  when  I  bought  Prince  for  half 
his  value  I  knew  that  I  was  running  that  risk." 

"  No,  senor  Englishman.  I  do  not  say  that  a  man  who  has 
lost  his  horse  has  not  the  right  to  reclaim  it  wherever  he 
may  find  it.  That  is,  if  he  happens  to  be  in  a  place  where 
the  law  is  respected,  or  if  not  if  he  happens  to  be  with  the 
strongest  party ;  but  in  the  present  case  I  could  not  think  of 
depriving  you  of  the  horse.  It  is  evident  that  he  has  found 
a  good  master,  and  that  you  stand  in  his  affections  just  as  my 
son  did  ;  besides,  if  you  will  pardon  my  saying  so,  the  horse  is 
more  to  you  than  it  is  to  me.  There  are  many  thousands  of  horses 
running  wild  on  my  estates,  and  although  my  son  used  to  assert 
that  there  was  not  one  which  was  equal  to  his  horse,  there  are 
numbers  that  are  but  little  inferior,  for  our  horses  are  famous. 
They  are  mustangs  crossed  with  pure  Arab  blood,  which  my 
grandfather  had  selected  and  sent  over  to  him,  regardless  of 
cost.  Pray,  therefore,  keep  the  bay.  May  it  carry  you  long  and 
safely  !  It  will  be  a  real  pleasure  to  my  wife  and  myself  to 
know  that  poor  Estafan's  favourite  horse  is  in  such  good  hands. 


A  FORTUNATE  ADVENTURE.  289 

I  have  also,"  he  said  courteously  to  Royce,  "  taken  the  liberty 
of  ordering  my  peons  to  change  the  saddle  of  the  horse  you  rode 
to  one  more  worthy  of  being  a  companion  to  the  bay.  It  is  of 
no  use  for  one  man  to  be  well  mounted  if  his  comrade  does  not 
bestride  a  steed  of  similar  swiftness." 

Hugh  and  Royce  warmly  thanked  Don  Ramon  for  his  kind- 
ness. The  horses  were  brought  round,  and  that  of  Royce  fully 
bore  out  the  commendation  of  the  Mexican. 

"  We  hope  to  see  you  again  to-morrow,"  Don  Ramon  said  as 
they  mounted.  "You  will  always  be  welcome  guests  here." 

"  And  you  will  not  forget,"  Don  Carlos  said  in  a  low  tone, 
"  if  you  ever  meet  those  men." 

"  That  has  been  a  fortunate  adventure,"  Royce  said  as  they 
rode  off.  "  I  have  often  wondered  whether  we  should  ever  fall 
upon  the  original  owner  of  your  horse,  and  pictured  to  myself 
that  we  might  have  a  bad  time  of  it  if  we  did.  It  isn't  every- 
one who  would  have  accepted  that  receipt  of  yours  as  proof." 

"  No ;  I  always  felt  that  myself,  Royce.  Well,  that  sorrel  of 
yours  is  a  splendid  animal,  and  really  worthy  to  go  with  Prince. 
I  often  wished  you  had  a  mount  as  good  as  mine,  for  my  sake 
as  well  as  your  own,  for  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  truth  of  what 
he  said.  When  two  friends  are  riding  together  their  pace  is 
only  that  of  the  slowest  horse." 

"  That  is  so,"  Royce  agreed.  "  So  there  is  some  Arab  blood  in 
them.  I  have  often  talked  over  the  bay  in  the  camps.  We  all 
agreed  we  had  never  seen  so  good  a  mustang.  There  are  good 
mustangs,  but  they  are  never  a  match  for  a  really  first-rate 
States  horse,  and  yet  we  could  not  see  any  signs  of  such  a  cross 
in  Prince.  He  wur  mustang,  but  there  seemed  more  whip- 
cord and  wire  about  him  than  a  mustang  has.  I  have  heard 
say  that  the  mustangs  are  the  descendants  of  Spanish  barbs, 
and  that  the  barbs  were  Moorish  horses." 

"  Yes,  that  is  so,  Royce.  The  barb  is  related  to  the  Arab, 
but  is  not,  I  believe,  of  such  pure  blood;  it  is  a  coarser 


290  INTRODUCTIONS. 

animal ;  and  if  Don  Ramon's  grandfather  brought  over  some 
pure  Arabs  of  first-rate  strain  they  would,  no  doubt,  greatly 
improve  the  mustangs." 

"  Waal,  Hugh,  if  we  ever  do  meet  those  two  murdering  villains, 
I  reckon  their  chances  of  getting  away  from  us  ain't  worth 
mentioning." 

The  reception  on  their  return  to  the  hotel  was  very  different 
to  that  they  had  before  experienced.  They  had  been  visitors 
at  Don  Ramon's  hacienda,  and  Don  Ramon  was  the  richest 
proprietor  in  the  district  of  El  Paso.  After  they  had  finished 
supper  that  evening,  and  were  enjoying  coffee  and  cigars  at  a 
table  placed  with  others  in  a  garden  behind  the  hotel,  the  two 
miners  who  had  stood  by  them  in  the  morning  came  up  and 
took  seats  beside  them.  "  You  had  a  pretty  rough  welcome 
this  morning  at  El  Paso,"  the  big  man  said.  "But,  by  the* 
way,  I  do  not  know  what  to  call  you.  My  own  name  is  Sim. 
I  am  generally  known  as  Surly  Sim.  My  friend's  name  is 
Frank ;  I  generally  call  him  the  doctor." 

"  My  name  is  Bill,"  Royce  said ;  "  and  out  on  the  plain  the 
boys  call  me  Stumpy,  which  don't  need  any  explanation.  My 
mate's  name  is  Hugh,  and  he  has  got  the  name  of  Lightning." 

"Ah  !  and  why  is  that,  may  I  ask?"  the  white-haired  little 
man  said. 

"  Well,  it  is  because  of  one  of  his  accomplishments,  doctor. 
He  has  got  the  knack  of  drawing  a  pistol  that  sharp,  that  almost 
before  you  see  his  hand  move  you  are  looking  down  tke  tube 
of  a  pistol." 

"A  very  useful  accomplishment,"  the  little  man  remarked, 
"  always  supposing  that  it  is  not  used  too  often,  and  that  it  is 
only  used  in  self-defence.  I  am  a  peaceful  man  myself,"  he 
went  on,  "  and  have  a  horror  of  the  use  of  fire-arms." 

His  companion  laughed. 

"  Now  you  know  that  that  is  so,  Sim,"  the  little  man  said 
earnestly. 


YOU  ARE   TOO  ABRUPT. 


291 


"Waal,  doctor,  I  don't  go  for  to  say  that  you  are  quarrel- 
some, and  ef  anyone  said  so  in  my  hearing  I  should  tell  him  he 
wur  a  liar.  But  for  a  peaceable  man,  doctor,  and  I  don't  deny 
as  you  are  peaceable,  I  don't  know  as  thar  is  a  man  in  the 
mining  regions  who  has  used  his  weapon  oftener  than  you  have." 

"  But  always  on  the  side  of  peace,  Sim,"  the  little  man  said 
earnestly.  "  Please  to  remember  always  on  the  side  of  peace." 

"  Yes,  in  the  same  way  that  a  New  York  policeman  uses  his 
club,  doctor." 

"  Well,  I  can  assure  you  I  don't  often  use  what  you  call  my 
accomplishment,"  Hugh  said.  "I  practise  it  so  that  I  may 
be  able  to  defend  my  life  if  I  am  attacked,  but  except  in  a 
fight  with  a  band  of  Comanches,  I  have  only  once  had  occasion 
to  draw  my  pistol." 

"And  he  weakened?"  Sim  asked. 

"  Yes,  I  had  the  drop  of  him.  There  was  nothing  else  for 
him  to  do." 

"  And  what  are  you  doing  at  El  Paso  ?  " 

"  You  are  too  abrupt,  Sim,  much  too  abrupt,"  the  little  man 
said  deprecatingly. 

"  Not  at  all,  doctor.  If  it  is  anything  they  don't  want  to  tell 
they  won't  tell  it.  If  it  isn't,  we  may  be  useful  to  them." 

"  We  have  no  particular  object  in  view,"  Hugh  said.  "  I  am 
an  Englishman ;  but  not  a  rich  Englishman,  who  comes  out  to 
buy  ranches,  or  to  speculate  in  mines.  But  I  have  come  rather 
to  pass  three  or  four  years  in  seeing  life  on  the  Western  plains 
than  to  make  money.  I  worked  for  six  months  in  M'Kinney, 
had  three  or  four  months'  hunting,  and  then  worked  six 
months  as  a  cow-boy ;  and  I  thought  that,  for  a  change,  I  should 
like  to  come  this  way  and  see  something  of  mining  adventure 
in  New  Mexico  or  Arizona.  My  mate  here  has  been  with  me 
for  nearly  two  years,  and  has  thrown  in  his  fortune  with 
mine." 

"There  is  adventure  enough,  and  more  than  enough,  in 


292  "NO,  i  DON'T  SAY  THAT." 

mining  down  thar  in  Arizona.  The  doctor  and  I  have  been  at 
it  for  some  years.  We  haven't  made  a  penny,  but  we  have 
saved  our  scalps,  so  we  may  be  considered  lucky." 

"  I  was  told,"  Hugh  went  on,  "  that  El  Paso  was  the  most 
central  place  to  come  to.  My  idea  was  that  I  might  find  some 
party  setting  out  on  a  prospecting  expedition,  and  that  I  might 
be  able  to  join  it." 

"  It  ain't  a  good  time  for  prospecting  expeditions,"  Sim  said. 
"  Even  on  the  Upper  Gila  the  mining  camps  is  all  on  guard, 
knowing  that  any  day  the  Apaches  may  be  down  on  them,  and 
it  would  want  a  man  to  be  wonderful  fond  of  gold  for  him  to 
go  out  prospecting  down  in  Arizona." 

"I  don't  care  much  for  gold,"  Hugh  laughed,  "though  I 
don't  say  I  should  object  to  take  my  share  if  we  hit  on  a  rich 
lode.  I  should  go  for  the  sake  of  the  excitement,  and  to  see 
the  life." 

"  Well,  at  other  times  you  might  find  any  number  of  people 
here  in  El  Paso  who  would  be  glad  enough  to  take  you  out  on 
such  an  expedition,"  the  doctor  said.  "  You  ask  the  first  man 
you  meet,  Mexican  or  white,  and  he  will  tell  you  that  he 
knows  of  a  mine,  and  will  take  you  to  it  if  you  will  fit  out  an 
expedition." 

"  You  are  exceptions  to  the  rule,  doctor." 

"  No,  I  don't  say  that,"  the  doctor  replied,  though  his  com- 
panion gave  a  growling  protest. 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  know  of  a  mine  !  "  he  went  on,  not  heeding  the 
growl.  "At  least  we  believe  we  do,  which  is,  I  suppose,  as 
much  as  anybody  can  say ;  but  we  are  like  the  rest,  we  say  that 
it  is  better  to  stay  at  El  Paso  and  keep  our  scalps  on,  even  if 
we  are  poor,  than  to  go  and  throw  away  our  lives  in  looking 
for  a  mine.  We  have  been  out  working  for  the  last  six  months 
on  a  mine  in  the  Gila  Valley  on  shares  with  six  others.  We 
weren't  doing  so  badly ;  but  the  Mexicans  who  were  working 
for  us  got  scared  and  wouldn't  stay,  so  we  have  given  it  up 


"IT  DON'T  HAPPEN  OFTEN." 

and  come  down  here.  Some  day  or  other  when  things  settle 
down  again,  I  suppose  the  mine  will  be  worked,  but  it  won't 
be  by  us.  We  are  looking  out  for  someone  who  will  buy  our 
shares,  but  I  don't  suppose  anyone  will  give  five  dollars  for 
them,  and  they  would  be  right.  The  thing  paid  in  our  hands, 
but  it  wouldn't  pay  in  Mexicans'.  They  are  poor  shiftless 
creatures,  and  have  no  idea  of  hard  work.  We  should  have 
given  it  up  anyhow,  even  without  these  Indian  troubles,  which 
don't  make  much  difference,  for  the  Apaches  are  always  ready 
to  come  down  when  they  see  a  chance.  It  is  always  war  between 
them  and  the  whites.  But  we  were  there  six  months,  and 
six  months  are  about  the  outside  Sim  and  I  ever  stop  any- 
where." 

"  When  you  go  prospecting,  do  you  often  get  any  hints  from 
the  Indians  as  to  where  gold  is  to  be  found?  " 

"Never,"  Sim  Hewlett  said.  "The  Injuns  are  too  lazy 
to  work  theirselves,  and  they  know  that  when  the  whites  get 
hold  of  gold  they  pour  down  in  numbers.  I  believe  they  do 
know  often  where  there  are  lodes.  I  don't  see  how  they  can 
be  off  knowing  it,  for  a  Red-skin  is  always  keeping  his  eyes  on 
the  move.  Nothing  escapes  him,  and  it  would  be  strange  if, 
wandering  about  as  they  do,  and  knowing  every  foot  of  their 
country,  they  didn't  notice  gold  when  it  is  there  to  see. 
Besides,  they  have  got  tales  handed  down  from  father  to  son. 
In  old  times  they  had  gold  ornaments  and  such  like,  but  you 
never  see  them  now.  They  know  well  enough  that  such  things 
would  draw  the  whites.  Sometimes  a  Red-skin  will  tell  a 
white  who  has  done  him  some  great  service  where  there  is 
a  lode,  gold  or  silver  or  copper,  but  it  don't  happen  often. 
Besides,  most  times  the  place  lies  right  in  the  heart  of  their 
country,  and  for  all  the  good  it  is,  it  might  as  well  be  in  the 
middle  of  the  sea.  Of  course,  if  it  was  gold,  and  the  metal 
was  found  in  nuggets,  and  a  horse-load  or  two  could  be  got  in 
a  month,  it  might  be  done  ;  but  not  when  it  comes  to  settling 


294  PERILOUS  WORK. 

there  and  sinking  shafts  and  mining ;  that  can't  be  done  until 
the  Apaches  are  wiped  out." 

"But  are  there  such  places  as  that,  Sim?" 

"Waal,  there  may  be,  but  I  have  never  seen  them.  The 
doctor  and  me  have  struck  it  rich  many  a  time,  but  not  as  rich 
as  that.  Still,  I  reckon  there  are  places  where  the  first  comer 
might  gather  a  big  pile  if  the  Red-skins  would  but  let  him  alone 
for  a  month." 

"I  suppose  you  are  absent  some  time  on  one  of  these 
expeditions  ?  Do  prospectors  generally  go  on  foot  or  horse- 
back? " 

"  They  in  general  takes  a  critter  a  piece,  and  two  others  to 
carry  grub  and  a  pick  and  shovel ;  sometimes  they  go  two 
together,  but  more  often  one  goes  by  hisself.  In  course  where 
two  men  knows  each  other  and  can  trust  each  other,  two  is 
kind  of  handier  than  one.  We  shouldn't  like  to  work  alone, 
should  we,  doc.?  But  then,  you  see,  we  have  been  twelve 
years  together.  Sometimes  a  man  finds  his  own  outfit.  Some- 
times he  goes  to  a  trader  in  a  town ;  and  if  he  is  known  to  be 
a  good  miner  and  a  straight  man,  the  storekeeper  will  give 
him  a  sack  of  flour  and  a  side  of  bacon,  and  such  other  things 
as  are  required,  and  then  they  go  partners  in  what  is  found. 
Sometimes  this  goes  on  for  months,  sometimes  for  years ;  some- 
times the  trader  loses  his  money,  sometimes  he  makes  a  fortune. 
You  see  there  are  plenty  of  places  as  ain't  in  what  you  may 
call  the  Indian  country,  but  somehow  or  other  it  do  seem  as 
if  the  Red-skins  had  just  been  put  down  where  the  best  places 
is,  so  as  to  prevent  the  gold  being  dug.  In  Arizona  some 
big  finds  have  been  made,  but  nobody's  any  the  richer  for 
them.  The  Red-skins  is  always  on  the  look-out.  Often  an 
exploring  party  never  comes  back.  Sometimes  one  or  two 
come  back  with  the  news  that  the  others  have  all  been  wiped 
out ;  but  what  with  the  awful  country  and  the  want  of  water, 
and  the  sartainty  of  having  to  fight,  and  of  sooner  or  later 


295 

being  surprised  and  scalped,  there  ain't  many  men  as  cares 
about  following  the  thing  up." 

"  I  suppose  you  know  of  such  places,  Sim  ?  " 

"  Waal,  maybe  we  do,"  the  miner  said  cautiously.  "  Maybe 
we  do;  eh,  doctor?" 

The  little  man  did  not  reply,  but  sat  looking  searchingly  at 
Hugh.  When  he  did  speak  it  was  not  in  direct  answer  to  the 
question. 

"  I  like  your  face,  young  fellow,"  he  said.  "  It  reminds  me 
of  one  I  have  seen  somewhere,  though  I  can't  say  where.  You 
look  to  me  as  if  you  were  downright  honest." 

"  I  hope  I  am,"  Hugh  said  with  a  laugh. 

"  You  may  bet  your  boots  on  that,"  Bill  Royce  said.  "  He 
is  as  straight  a  man  as  you  will  find  in  Texas." 

"  And  you  are  out  here,"  the  other  went  on,  "  part  for 
pleasure,  part  just  to  see  life,  and  part,  I  suppose,  to  make 
money  if  you  see  a  chance?" 

"  I  have  never  thought  much  of  making  money,"  Hugh 
replied,  "  although  I  should  certainly  have  no  objection  if  I 
saw  a  chance ;  but  I  have  never  thought  of  doing  more  than 
keeping  myself." 

"  And  he  has  been  with  you,  you  say,  nigh  two  years  ?  "  and 
he  nodded  at  Royce.  "  And  you  can  speak  for  him  as  he  does 
for  you?" 

"That  I  can,"  Hugh  said  warmly.  "We  have  worked 
together  and  hunted  together,  we  have  been  mates  in  the 
same  outfit,  and  we  have  fought  the  Comanches  together,  and 
I  can  answer  for  him  as  for  myself.  He  gave  up  his  work  and 
went  with  me,  not  because  there  was  any  chance  of  making 
more  money  that  way  than  any  other,  but  because  we  liked 
each  other." 

"  Well,  Sim,"  the  little  man  said,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  these 
two  would  make  good  mates  for  that  job  of  ours." 

"  Waal,  doctor,  you  know  I  leave   these  things  to  you.     I 


296  "JUST  WHAT  WOULD  sun  ME." 

kinder  feels  that  way  myself  towards  them,  and  anyhow  I 
don't  see  as  there  can't  be  no  harm  in  setting  it  afore  them, 
seeing  as  there  ain't  no  need  to  give  them  the  indications.  But 
I  reckon  there  is  too  many  about  here  to  talk  on  a  matter 
like  that.  Waal,  it  comes  to  this,"  he  went  on,  turning  to 
Hugh,  "  if  you  air  disposed  to  make  a  jint  expedition  with  us, 
and  ain't  afeard  neither  of  roughing  it  nor  of  Red-skins,  you 
meet  us  to-morrow  three  miles  outside  the  town  on  the  South 
Road,  and  we  will  talk  to  you  straight." 

"  That  is  just  what  would  suit  me,"  Hugh  said ;  "  and  you, 
Royce?" 

"  It  is  all  the  same  to  me,  Lightning.  If  you  are  for  an 
expedition  you  know  you  can  count  me  in." 

"  Good  night,  then,"  Sim  Hewlett  said,  rising.  "  We  have 
sat  here  quite  long  enough  talking  together  if  we  mean  to  do 
anything.  I  reckon  there  is  a  score  of  these  Mexikins  have 
been  saying  to  themselves  afore  now,  What  can  those  two 
miners  and  them  cow-boys  be  a-talking  together  about?  and 
when  a  Mexikin  begins  to  wonder,  he  begins  to  try  and  find  out ; 
so  we  are  off.  Three  miles  out  on  the  South  Road  at  nine 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  About  half  a  mile  past  a  village 
you  will  see  a  stone  cross  by  the  road.  There  is  a  path  turns 
off  by  it,  you  follow  that,  and  you  will  come  across  us  afore 
you  have  gone  two  hundred  yards." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Royce  ?  "  Hugh  asked  wnen  they 
were  alone. 

"  Don't  think  nothing  of  it  one  way  or  the  other.  Most  of 
them  miners  have  got  some  tale  or  other.  However  they  seem 
to  me  straight  men." 

"  I  feel  sure  they  are,"  Hugh  said.  "The  big  one  looks  an 
honest  fellow.  I  don't  so  much  understand  the  little  one,  but 
evidently  he  is  the  head  of  the  party.  He  is  a  curious  little 
fellow  with  his  white  hair  and  gentle  voice.  He  doesn't  look 
strong  enough  for  such  a  life  as  they  lead,  but  I  suppose  he  is 


THE  DOCTOR'S  STORY.  297 

able  to  do  his  share  or  they  would  never  have  been  working 
twelve  years  together.  At  any  rate  I  came  here  to  see  some- 
thing of  life  among  the  mines,  and  this  seems  as  good  a  chance 
as  we  are  likely  to  have." 

The  next  morning  they  breakfasted  at  seven,  and  at  half- 
past  eight  saddled  their  horses  and  rode  out.  They  found 
their  two  companions  of  the  previous  night  at  the  appointed 
place.  As  the  miners  saw  them  approaching  they  turned  off 
the  path  and  preceded  them  to  a  Mexican  hut,  and  there 
waited  for  them  to  come  up. 

"  Good  morning  ! "  the  doctor  said  as  they  dismounted  ;  "  there 
is  no  fear  of  our  being  overheard  here.  The  Mexican  who  lives 
here  has  often  been  up  with  us  among  the  hills,  and  started 
for  the  town  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago,  when  we  told  him  we 
had  a  rendezvous  here.  Now,  if  you  will  hitch  your  horses 
up  and  sit  down  on  these  maize  stalks  we  can  talk  comfort- 
ably. A  year  ago,  when  Sim  and  I  were  working  in  a  gulch 
among  the  mountains,  we  heard  a  call  in  the  distance.  We 
went  to  see  what  it  was,  and  found  a  man  who  had  dropped 
down,  just  worn  out  and  famished,  after  he  had  given  the  cry- 
that  fetched  us.  He  had  been  shot  in  four  or  five  places,  and 
we  saw  at  once  that  his  journey  was  nearly  over. 

"We  carried  him  to  our  fire  and  brought  him  round,  and 
did  all  we  could  for  him  for  three  weeks ;  then  he  died.  He 
told  us  he  had  been  one  of  a  party  of  six  who  had  been  pros- 
pecting in  the  hills  west  of  the  Lower  Gila.  One  of  them  had 
learned,  from  an  Indian  he  had  helped  in  some  way,  of  a  place 
where  the  bed  of  a  stream  was  full  of  gold.  They  found  it ; 
but  the  next  morning  they  were  attacked  by  the  Apaches,  who 
had,  I  expect,  been  following  them  all  the  time.  Two  of  them 
were  killed  at  once,  the  others  got  upon  their  horses  and  rode 
for  it.  Three  of  them  were  shot  down,  but  this  man  was 
well  mounted  and  got  off,  though  they  chased  him  for  three 
days.  He  lost  his  way ;  his  horse  fell  dead,  but  he  struggled 


298  THE  MINER'S  SECRET. 

on  until  he  saw  the  smoke  of  our  fire  and  made  us  out  to  be 
whites. 

"  Before  he  died  he  told  us  how  the  place  could  be  found. 
He  said  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  gold,  and  he  had  three 
or  four  nuggets  in  his  pockets,  weighing  two  or  three  pounds 
each.  He  said  he  had  had  lots  of  bigger  ones,  but  had  chucked 
them  all  away  to  lighten  his  horse.  Well,  it  is  a  long  journey. 
It  will  take  us  all  a  month,  I  reckon,  to  get  there.  We  cannot 
go  straight — the  Apaches  would  have  us  to  a  certainty — but 
must  go  north  into  the  Moquis  country,  and  then  down  again 
from  that  side.  We  have  been  minded  to  try  it  ever  since, 
but  luck  has  been  bad  with  us,  and,  besides,  two  men  wouldn't 
be  enough  for  such  a  journey. 

"  It  ain't  every  one  Sim  and  I  would  care  about  going  with, 
but  we  have  both  taken  a  fancy  to  you.  We  saw  you  stand 
up  straight  before  that  crowd  of  Mexicans ;  besides,  we  know 
it  wants  good  grit  for  that  cow-boy  life.  Now  this  is  the  offer 
we  make.  We  have  got  two  horses,  and  we  can  buy  two  pack- 
horses,  but  we  can't  go  further  than  that.  You  have  got  two 
out-and-out  horses ;  we  saw  you  ride  in  yesterday  afternoon. 
You  will  want  another  pack-horse,  and  you  will  have  to  provide 
the  outfit :  say  two  bags  of  flour,  two  sides  of  bacon,  ten  pounds 
of  tea,  and  a  couple  of  gallons  of  spirits ;  then  there  will  be 
sugar  and  some  other  things. 

"  We  shall  also  want  a  small  tent.  Now  if  you  like  to  join 
us  on  these  terms  you  can.  There  is  plenty  of  gold  for  us  all. 
But  mind  you,  it  will  be  no  child's  play.  The  journey  from 
the  Moquis  country  there  will  be  terrible ;  and  there  is  the 
chance,  and  a  pretty  big  chance  it  is,  I  tell  you,  of  a  fight  with 
the  Red-skins.  We  may  never  find  the  place.  We  have  got 
pretty  good  indications,  but  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  find  a 
place  among  those  mountains.  Still,  there  it  is.  If  you  get 
there  and  back  you  will  each  have  a  horse-load  of  gold  ;  if  you 
don't  you  will  leave  your  bones  there.  What  do  you  say  to  it  ?  " 


ARRANGEMENTS.  299 

Hugh  looked  at  Royce.  "  I  reckon  we  kin  take  our  chances 
if  you  kin,"  the  latter  said.  "  At  any  rate,  mates,  you  will  find 
as  we  can  take  our  share  in  whatever  comes." 

"Then  that  is  agreed,"  the  doctor  said.  "Now  about  pre- 
parations. It  will  never  do  for  you  to  be  buying  the  things 
here ;  for  if  we  were  seen  to  start  off  together  we  should  be 
followed,  sure  enough ;  it  would  be  guessed  at  once  we  had 
told  you  of  something  good.  We  must  not  be  seen  together 
again.  We  will  get  our  pack-horses  and  load  up,  and  go  as  if 
we  were  undertaking  a  job  on  our  own  account,  and  camp  up 
somewhere  twenty  miles  away,  and  stop  there  a  week.  After 
we  have  gone  you  can  get  your  outfit  and  move  off  and  join 
us.  Sim  and  I  have  been  talking  over  whether  it  will  be  a 
good  thing  to  take  Jose" — that  is  the  man  here — with  us,  instead 
of  buying  baggage  horses.  He  has  got  four  beasts.  He  could 
ride  one  himself,  and  the  other  three,  with  the  one  you  have, 
would  make  up  the  number.  Jose"  can  be  trusted ;  besides,  we 
should  not  tell  him  where  we  were  going,  but  we  should  have 
to  say  it  would  be  a  long  journey  and  a  dangerous  one.  He 
is  a  widower,  with  one  child,  and  these  horses  are  his  only 
possession,  and  I  think  he  would  want  their  value  put  down 
before  he  started,  say  seventy-five  dollars  a-piece  for  them  and 
their  saddles,  that  is  three  hundred  dollars.  You  wouldn't  buy 
them  for  less.  So  as  far  as  money  goes  it  would  come  to  the 
same  thing.  You  will  get  it  back  again  if  Jose"  and  the  animals 
come  back ;  but  if  we  all  do  come  back,  three  hundred  dollars 
would  be  nothing  one  way  or  the  other.  Then  comes  the 
point,  would  it  be  worth  while  to  take  him  ?  There  would  be 
one  more  mouth  to  feed,  but  that  does  not  go  for  much ;  there 
would  be  one  more  rifle  in  case  we  had  to  fight,  and  Jose"  has 
plenty  of  courage.  I  have  seen  him  in  a  fix  before  now.  He 
would  look  after  the  beasts  and  leave  our  hands  free ;  and  his 
pay  would  cost  us  nothing,  for  if  we  got  there  he  would  help  us 
gather  and  wash  the  gold." 


300  "RUNNING  WON'T  BE  MUCH  GOOD  TO  us." 

"  What  is  the  drawback  then?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"  The  drawback  is,  that  if  we  have  to  ride  for  it  he  might 
hinder  us." 

"  There  ain't  much  in  that,  doc.,"  Sim  Howlett  put  in.  "  Our 
horses  are  pretty  good  though  they  ain't  much  to  look  at,  but 
the  horses  our  mates  here  have  got  would  leave  them  standing, 
and  I  don't  know  that  Josh's  best  is  much  slower  than  ours ; 
besides,  when  you  are  working  among  those  mountains  speed 
goes  for  nothing.  A  horse  accustomed  to  them  would  pick 
his  way  among  the  rocks  faster'n  a  race-horse.  Ef  we  are 
attacked  there  running  won't  be  much  good  to  us.  Ef  we  get 
fairly  out  from  the  hills  with  the  gold  and  the  Taches  are  on 
our  trail,  why,  we  then  must  trust  to  cunning,  and  our  mates 
here  can  ride  clear  away." 

"  We  sha'n't  do  that,  Sim,"  Hugh  said.  "  If  we  throw  in 
our  lot  with  you  we  shall  share  it  to  the  end,  whatever  it  is." 

"  Waal,  that  is  all  right,  lad  ;  but  there  are  times  when  stop- 
ping to  fight  is  just  throwing  away  your  life  without  doing 
no  good.  The  doctor  here  and  me  ain't  men  to  desart  mates ; 
but  when  a  time  comes  where  it  ain't  no  sort  of  good  in  the 
world  to  fight,  and  when  those  mates  must  get  rubbed  out 
whether  you  stick  by  them  or  not,  then  it  is  downright  onrea- 
sonable  for  anyone  as  can  get  clear  off  to  throw  away  his  life 
foolish." 

"  Well,  anyhow,  Sim,"  Hugh  said,  "  it  seems  to  me  that  it 
will  be  best  to  take  Jose"  and  his  horses  with  us.  It  will,  as  you 
say,  leave  our  hands  free,  and  it  will  make  the  journey  much 
more  pleasant,  and  will  add  one  to  our  strength.  Well,  that 
would  cost,  you  say,  three  hundred  dollars;  how  much  will 
the  rest  of  the  outfit  cost  ?  " 

"  Three  hundred  at  the  outside,"  the  doctor  said.  "  We  have 
been  reckoning  it  up.  Of  course  we  have  all  got  kits,  and  it's 
only  grub  and  ammunition  we  have  got  to  buy,  and  two  or 
three  more  shovels,  and  some  pans  for  washing  the  sand,  and 


"WE  ARE  TRUSTING  YOU  WITH  OUR  LIVES."       301 

another  pick  or  two,  and  a  couple  of  crowbars.  Three  hundred 
dollars  will  get  as  much  grub  as  the  four  pack-horses  will 
carry,  and  make  a  good  proper  outfit  for  us.  Will  your  money 
run  to  that?" 

"  Hardly,"  Hugh  said,  "  that's  just  about  what  we  have  got 
between  us.  We  had  each  six  months'  pay  to  draw  when  we 
left  the  ranche,  and  I  had  some  before.  I  think  we  are  about 
twenty  dollars  short  of  the  six  hundred." 

"  That  is  plenty,"  the  doctor  said.  "  If  you  put  in  four 
hundred,  Sim  and  I  can  chip  in  another  two  hundred,  as  we 
sha'n't  have  to  buy  pack-horses ;  so  we  have  plenty  between  us. 
We  shall  see  Jose  to-night  and  talk  it  over  with  him,  and  if  he 
agrees  he  will  come  to  you  and  bring  a  document  for  you  to 
sign,  saying  that  if  he  does  not  return  in  six  months,  the  three 
hundred  dollars  are  to  be  paid  over  for  the  use  of  his  child ; 
then  he  will  go  with  you  to  a  priest  and  put  the  paper  and 
the  money  in  his  hands ;  then  you  can  hand  him  over  your 
pack-horse,  he  will  take  charge  of  it ;  then,  if  you  will  give  us 
a  hundred  dollars,  we  engage  to  get  the  outfit  all  provided. 
When  it  is  all  done  we  will  let  you  know  what  day  you  are  to 
meet  us,  and  where.  You  see  we  are  asking  you  to  trust  us 
right  through." 

"  That  is  all  right,"  Hugh  said.  "  We  are  trusting  you  with 
our  lives,  and  the  dollars  don't  go  for  much  in  comparison." 

"  That  is  so,"  Sim  Hewlett  said.  "  Waal,  there  is  nothing 
more  to  say  now.  You  had  best  ride  back  to  the  town  and 
give  yourself  no  more  trouble  about  it.  You  will  hear  from 
us  in  a  few  days,  or  it  maybe  a  week.  We  shall  buy  half  the 
things  and  send  them  on  by  Jose",  and  then  get  the  others  and 
follow  ourselves.  It  would  set  them  talking  here  if  we  was 
to  start  with  four  loads.  There  is  some  pretty  bad  men  about 
this  place,  you  bet." 

"  Well,  we  sha'n't  have  much  for  them  to  plunder  us  of," 
Hugh  said. 


BRIGANDS. 

"  Four  laden  horses  wouldn't  be  a  bad  haul,  but  it  ain't  that 
I  am  afraid  of.  If  there  wur  a  suspicion  as  we  was  going 
out  to  work  a  rich  thing,  there  is  plenty  of  men  here  would 
get  up  a  party  to  track  us,  and  fall  on  us  either  there  or  on 
our  way  back.  There  are  two  or  three  bands  of  brigands  upon 
the  mountains,  and  they  are  getting  worse.  There  have  been 
several  haciendas  burned  and  their  people  killed  not  many 
miles  from  El  Paso.  Parties  have  been  got  up  several  times 
to  hunt  them  down,  but  they  never  find  them ;  and  there  is 
people  here  as  believe  that  the  officers  of  the  gudrda  are  in  their 
pay.  They  have  come  across  us  more  than  once  when  we 
have  been  prospecting.  But  they  don't  interfere  with  men 
like  us,  because,  firstly,  we  haven't  got  anything  worth  taking, 
anyway  nothing  worth  risking  half  a  dozen  lives  to  get ;  and 
in  the  next  place,  ef  it  got  known  they  had  touched  any  of 
our  lot,  the  miners  would  all  join  and  hunt  them  down,  and 
they  know  right  enough  that  would  be  a  different  thing  alto- 
gether to  having  to  deal  with  the  Mexikins." 

Five  minutes  later  Hugh  and  Royce  were  on  their  way  back 
to  El  Paso. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CARRIED  OFF. 

THE  next  morning,  in  accordance  with  the  promise  they 
had  given  Don  Ramon,  Hugh  rode  out  to  the  hacienda, 
Royce  saying  that  they  were  too  great  swells  for  him,  and 
he  would  rather  stop  quietly  at  El  Paso ;  "  besides,"  he  said, 
"  most  likely  Jose"  will  come  this  morning,  and  I  will  stop  and 
fix  up  that  business  with  him."  Hugh  did  not  try  to  dissuade 
him,  for  he  had  seen  that  Royce  was  ill  at  ease  on  the  occasion 
of  his  first  visit. 

On  reaching  the  hacienda  he  received  a  hearty  welcome  from 
Don  Ramon  and  his  family,  and  Don  Carlos  rode  with  him 
over  a  part  of  the  estate,  where  a  large  number  of  peons  were 
engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  tobacco,  maize,  and  other  grain. 

"  If  you  have  time,  Senor  Hugh,  you  must  go  with  me  to 
see  our  other  estates ;  our  principal  one  lies  twenty  leagues  to 
the  south.  We  have  five  hundred  square  miles  of  land  there, 
and  big  herds  of  cattle  and  droves  of  horses,  but  I  suppose  you 
have  seen  enough  cattle." 

"  Yes ;  there  is  no  novelty  about  that,"  Hugh  replied.  "  How 
many  have  you?" 

"  There  and  in  other  places  we  have  somewhere  about  150,000 
head ;  as  to  the  horses,  we  don't  know ;  they  are  quite  wild, 
and  we  drive  them  in  and  catch  them  as  they  are  wanted.  We 
have  about  a  score  of  our  best  here,  but  these  are  the  only 
animals  we  keep  here  except  bullocks  for  the  plough  and  the 
teams  to  take  the  crops  down  to  market." 


304  HARD  TO  CATCH. 

""  I  hear  you  have  been  rather  troubled  with  brigands  lately  J 
have  you  any  fear  of  them? " 

"The  scoundrels  1"  the  young  man  exclaimed  passionately; 
"  it  is  a  disgrace  that  they  are  not  hunted  down.  Yes,  they 
have  been  very  daring  lately,  and  my  father  and  several  of  the 
other  hacienderos  have  written  lately  to  the  authorities  of 
Santa  F£  complaining  of  the  inactivity  of  the  police  here.  I 
have  tried  to  persuade  my  father  to  move  down  to  our  house 
at  El  Paso  until  the  bands  have  been  destroyed ;  but  he  laughs 
at  the  idea  of  danger.  We  have  twenty  armed  peons  sleeping 
in  the  outhouses,  and  twelve  male  servants  in  the  house,  and 
indeed  there  is  little  chance  of  their  attacking  us ;  still  one 
cannot  but  feel  uncomfortable  with  ladies  here. 

"  There  are  a  hundred  troops  or  so  stationed  in  the  fort  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  they  have  joined  two  or  three 
times  in  the  search  for  the  brigands,  but  of  course  they  are  too 
far  off  to  be  any  protection  to  us  here ;  besides  they  are  not 
of  much  use  among  the  mountains.  The  officer  in  command 
is  fonder  of  good  wine  than  he  is  of  the  saddle.  It  is  a  diffi- 
cult thing  to  rout  out  these  brigands ;  half  the  peasantry  are 
in  alliance  with  them,  and  they  get  information  of  everything 
that  is  going  on,  and  even  if  we  knew  of  their  hiding-places, 
there  would  be  little  chance  of  our  taking  them  by  surprise. 
However,  sooner  or  later,  I  suppose,  we  shall  have  them. 
There  is  a  large  reward  offered  for  their  capture ;  someone  is 
sure  to  prove  traitor  at  last.  It  is  always  the  way  with  these 
bands,  someone  thinks  himself  ill-used  in  the  division  of  the 
booty,  or  takes  offence  with  the  leaders,  or  something  of  that 
sort,  or  is  tempted  by  the  reward,  and  then  we  get  them  all ; 
if  it  wasn't  for  treachery,  the  country  would  soon  become  un- 
inhabitable." 

His  host  would  not  hear  of  Hugh  returning  that  evening  to 
El  Paso,  but  sent  a  pedn  in  to  tell  Royce  that  he  would  not 
return  until  next  day.  Hugh  spent  a  delightful  evening ;  th» 


A  LETTER.  305 

young  ladies  played  on  the  mandoline,  and  sang  with  their 
brother.  The  soft  light,  the  luxurious  appointments,  and 
the  ripple  of  female  talk,  were  strange  and  delightful  after 
so  long  a  time  among  rough  surroundings;  and  it  was  with 
great  reluctance  that  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  back  on 
the  following  morning.  He  found  on  arrival  that  his  comrade 
had  arranged  the  matter  with  Jose",  and  had  deposited  the 
money  with  the  priest.  As  he  was  standing  chatting  to  him 
at  the  door  of  the  hotel,  a  ragged  Mexican  boy  ran  up,  placed 
a  scrap  of  paper  in  Hugh's  hand,  and  at  once  darted  away. 

"It  is  from  the  doctor,"  Hugh  said,  opening  it,  and  then 
read  as  follows  :  "  I  have  something  particular  to  say  to  you ; 
it  must  be  private ;  when  you  have  received  this  stroll  quietly 
through  the  town  as  if  you  were  only  looking  at  the  shops ;  go 
down  to  the  river  and  follow  it  up  till  you  hear  three  whistles, 
then  come  to  them ;  you  had  better  come  alone.  The  doctor." 

"  I  wonder  what  the  little  man  has  got  to  say,  Royce  ?  " 

"Dunno,"  the  other  said.  "I  suppose  you  had  better  go 
and  see.  You  have  got  your  six-shooter  anyhow?  " 

Hugh  obeyed  his  instructions  and  walked  along  the  river 
bank  till  he  heard  the  whistles ;  they  came  from  a  small  clump 
of  bushes  standing  apart  from  any  others.  As  he  approached 
it  he  heard  the  doctor's  voice,  "  Look  round  and  see  if  there  is 
anyone  in  sight." 

"  No  one  that  I  can  see,"  Hugh  replied. 

"  Then  come  in." 

Hugh  pushed  his  way  through  the  bushes. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter,  doctor?"  he  asked,  surprised  at 
all  these  precautions. 

"  I  will  tell  you.  Sit  down  there.  It  is  just  as  we  fancied  it 
might  be.  I  told  you  that  we  might  be  watched.  These  con- 
founded Mexicans  have  nothing  to  do  but  watch,  and  they  have 
found  out  what  we  are  after." 

"  How  did  you  leam  that,  doctor?  " 


306  IN  A  WINE   SHOP. 

"  Well,"  the  doctor  said  reluctantly,  "  my  mate  has  but  one 
fault,  he  will  sometimes  go  in  for  a  drink.  It's  not  often,  but 
just  occasionally,  once  perhaps  every  few  months.  It  has  always 
been  so  ever  since  I  have  known  him.  Well,  last  night  it  came 
over  him.  He  thought  it  would  be  a  long  while  before  he  would 
have  a  chance  again,  I  suppose ;  he  is  not  quarrelsome  when  ha 
drinks,  but  you  may  be  sure  I  always  go  with  him  so  as  to 
take  care  of  him.  So  yesterday  evening,  seeing  that  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  for  it  and  was  not  to  be  turned,  I  went  with 
him  to  a  little  wine- shop  near  where  we  lodge.  There  were 
half-a-dozen  Mexicans  in  there  drinking  and  talking,  and  as 
they  stopt  talking  directly  we  went  in,  I  saw  we  were  not 
wanted.  But  I  noticed  more  than  that.  I  saw  two  of  them 
glance  at  each  other,  and  though  I  could  not  recollect  I  had 
ever  set  eyes  on  them  before,  I  saw  they  knew  us. 

"  We  hadn't  any  money  on  us  beyond  what  was  wanted  to 
pay  for  the  liquor,  so  though  I  didn't  like  the  look  of  them  I 
was  not  uneasy.  We  sat  down  and  called  for  some  liquor,  and 
I  managed  to  say  to  Sim,  '  These  chaps  know  us,  Sim ;  don't 
you  go  drinking/  He  nodded.  We  drank  for  a  bit,  at  least 
he  did,  I  don't  touch  spirits.  Then,  talking  carelessly  out  loud, 
we,  in  whispered  asides,  made  out  a  plan.  We  agreed  that  we 
should  quarrel,  and  I  should  go  out,  and  that  he  should  seem 
to  go  on  drinking  until  he  got  drunk  and  stupid,  and  then  like 
enough  he  might  hear  something.  So  we  carried  that  out. 

"  As  soon  as  he  had  drunk  his  glass  he  called  for  another, 
and  then  another.  I  got  up  a  row  with  him,  and  told  him 
he  was  always  making  a  beast  of  himself.  He  said  he  would 
drink  if  he  chose,  and  wouldn't  be  interfered  with  by  any  one. 
Then  I  got  nasty,  and  we  had  a  big  row,  and  I  went  out.  Then 
Sim  went  on  drinking ;  he  can  stand  a  lot  more  than  would 
floor  most  Mexicans.  They  got  into  talk  with  him,  and  he 
could  see  they  were  trying  to  pump  him  as  to  what  we  were 
going  to  do,  but  you  bet  he  didn't  let  much  out.  Then  he 


"WHAT  IS   TO   BE   DONE?"  30 1 

got  gradually  stupid,  and  at  last  rolled  off  the  seat  on  to  the 
ground.  For  a  bit  the  Mexicans  went  on  talking  together,  and 
then  one  of  them  crept  over  and  felt  his  pockets,  and  took  the 
few  dollars  he  had  in  them  out.  That  convinced  them  he  was 
dead  off  to  sleep,  and  they  went  on  talking. 

"  What  he  gathered  was  this :  the  fellows  were  the  spies  of 
one  of  these  bands.  They  had  noticed  you  particularly  when 
you  came  in,  because  it  seems  their  captain  was  in  the  town 
and  recognized  your  horse,  and  told  them  he  didn't  like  your 
being  here,  and  they  were  to  watch  you  sharp.  They  were  in 
the  crowd  when  there  was  the  row  about  the  horse,  and  they 
saw  us  having  our  talk  with  you.  They  followed  you  out  to 
the  Don's  and  back  again,  and  when  you  rode  out  in  the  mor- 
ning to  meet  us  they  sent  a  boy  after  you,  and  he  kept  you  in 
sight  and  tracked  you  up  to  the  hut,  and  then  crawled  up  close 
and  overheard  what  we  were  saying.  They  sent  off  word  at 
once  to  their  chief,  and  we  are  to  be  followed  by  two  men ; 
when  they  have  traced  us  to  the  place,  one  is  to  ride  back  to 
some  place  where  a  dozen  of  them  will  be  waiting  to  attack  us 
on  our  way  back." 

"That  is  bad,"  Hugh  said;  "what  is  to  be  done?" 
"This  has  got  to  be  put  a  stop  to,"  the  doctor  said  calmly, 
"though  I  don't  see  how  yet.  At  any  rate  Sim  and  I  think 
we  had  better  not  hurry,  a  few  days  won't  make  any  difference, 
and  something  may  occur.  He  picked  up  from  their  talk  that 
the  villains  had  something  else  in  hand  just  at  present ;  some 
stroke  from  which  they  expect  to  make  a  lot  of  money,  but 
they  talked  low,  and  he  couldn't  catch  much  of  what  they  said. 
Maybe  it  will  go  wrong,  and  the  country  may  be  roused  and 
hunt  them  down,  and  if  so  you  bet  we  will  be  in  it ;  we  have 
got  chances  enough  to  take  in  this  job  as  it  is,  and  we  don't 
want  to  reckon  on  brigands ;  not  that  there  is  much  fear  of 
them  now  that  we  know  their  plans,  we  have  only  got  to  am- 
bush the  men  they  send  after  us.  Still,  we  ain't  going  to  take 


308  "THERE  is  NO  HURRY  ABOUT  A  START." 

any  chances.  The  fellows  may  follow  direct ;  they  are  sure  to 
choose  some  one  who  knows  the  mountains  v,*ell,  and  they  maj' 
judge  by  our  direction  the  course  we  are  taking  and  go  by  othef 
paths ;  they  would  know  pretty  well  we  are  not  the  sort  of 
people  to  fool  with.  Still  it  is  better  to  wait  a  little  while  and 
see  if  there  is  a  chance  of  putting  a  stop  to  it  here.  It  is  not 
that  we  are  feared  of  the  skunks ;  if  we  could  not  throw  them 
off  our  trail,  we  could  fight  them  anyway,  but  one  don't  want 
to  have  them  on  one's  mind ;  we  have  got  plenty  of  things  to 
think  about  without  them." 

"  O  yes  !  I  think  it  much  better  to  stay  here  for  a  bit,  doctor. 
There  is  no  hurry  about  a  start  on  our  expedition,  and  I  should 
certainly  like  to  take  a  share  in  routing  out  these  bandits, 
especially  as,  from  what  you  say,  it  seems  that  the  men  at  their 
head  are  the  fellows  who  murdered  Don  Ramon  Perales'  son, 
and  sold  me  his  horse.  I  wonder  which  hacienda  it  is  that 
they  are  meaning  to  attack  ! " 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  pity  Sim  didn't  manage  to  find  that  out ;  we 
would  have  caught  them  then." 

"  Have  you  any  idea  how  strong  the  band  is  ?  " 

"They  are  not  often  over  twenty,"  the  doctor  replied 
"Twenty  is  enough  for  their  work,  and  if  there  were  more  the 
shares  of  the  plunder  would  be  too  small ;  but,  as  I  said,  they 
have  got  friends  everywhere,  and  could  probably  gather  thirty 
or  forty  more  if  they  knew  the  troops  were  going  to  attack 
them.  A  Mexican  is  always  ready  on  principle  to  join  in  if 
there  is  a  chance  of  getting  a  shot  at  an  American  soldier." 

"  I  suppose  you  have  not  the  least  idea  in  what  direction 
these  fellows  have  their  headquarters  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  have  some  sort  of  an  idea,  at  any  rate  I  know  of 
one  place  where  there  is  a  party  who  don't  care  about  being 
interfered  with  by  strangers.  Two  or  three  months  ago  when 
Sim  and  I  were  away  about  forty  miles  over  to  the  north-west, 
we  were  in  a  village  just  at  the  mouth  of  a  bit  of  a  valley,  and 


A  TIMELY   WARNING.  309 

the  girl  who  waited  on  us  at  the  little  wine-shop  whispered  in 
my  ear  when  the  landlord's  back  was  turned,  '  Don't  go  up  the 
valley.'  Well,  we  were  not  thinking  of  going  up  the  valley, 
which  was  only  a  sort  of  gulch  leading  nowhere,  but  after  that 
we  thought  that  we  would  have  a  look  at  it.  We  took  a 
goodish  round  so  as  to  get  above  it,  and  looked  down,  and  we 
saw  a  house  lying  among  some  trees,  and  lower  down,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  valley,  made  out  two  men  sitting  among  some 
rocks  on  the  shoulder. 

"  The  sun  shone  on  their  gun  barrels,  but  that  didn't  go  for 
much,  for  the  Mexicans  out  in  the  country  pretty  well  always 
go  armed.  We  watched  them  for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  as 
they  didn't  stir  we  concluded  they  were  sentries.  The  girl 
wouldn't  have  given  us  that  warning  unless  there  had  been 
something  wrong,  and  I  expect  that  house  was  the  head- 
quarters of  one  of  these  gangs." 

"  What  made  her  do  it,  I  wonder,  doctor?  " 

"  That  I  can't  say,  Lightning.  It  is  never  easy  to  say  why 
a  woman  does  a  thing.  She  may  have  thought  it  a  pity  that 
Sim  and  I  should  get  our  throats  cut,  though  I  own  that 
wouldn't  be  a  thing  likely  to  trouble  a  Mexican  girl.  Then 
she  may  have  had  a  grudge  against  them ;  perhaps  they  had 
shot  some  lover  of  hers,  or  one  of  them  may  have  jilted  her. 
Anyhow,  there  it  was,  and  if  we  hear  of  any  attack  of  brigands 
upon  a  hacienda,  we  will  try  that  place  before  going  any 
further.  And  now,  lad,  you  had  better  be  going  back.  I  shall 
lie  here  quiet  for  an  hour  or  two  in  case  there  should  be  any- 
one watching  you,  as  is  likely  enough." 

Hugh  returned  to  the  hotel  and  told  Royce  what  he  had 
heard. 

"That  will  suit  me,"  Bill  said.  "I  am  death  on  border 
ruffians,  and  if  ever  I  see  two  of  them  it  wur  them  fellows  as 
sold  you  the  horse  at  M'Kinney.  And  so  it's  their  intention  to 
follow  us  and  wipe  us  out,  and  get  our  swag?  Waal,  maybe 


310  "  HUMAN  NATURE." 

it  will  be  the  other  way.  If  I  was  you,  Lightning,  I  would 
ride  over  to  Don  Ramon's  this  evening,  and  give  him  a  hint 
to  be  on  his  guard.  There  is  no  reason  why  it  should  be  his 
place  they  have  got  in  their  mind  more  than  any  other.  But 
the  fact  that  they  stole  the  son's  horse,  to  say  nothing  of  kill- 
ing him,  might  turn  their  thoughts  that  way.  If  you  do 
fellow  one  injury,  I  reckon  that  like  as  not  you  will  do  him 
another.  I  don't  know  why  it  is  so,  but  I  reckons  it's  human 
nature." 

"  I  will  ride  over  at  once,"  Hugh  said. 

"I  wouldn't  do  that,  Hugh.  You  don't  know  who  may 
have  been  watching  you,  and  if  it  is  known  that  you  had  been 
meeting  the  doctor  quiet,  and  the  doctor  is  a  mate  of  Sim's, 
and  Sim  was  in  that  wine-shop,  they  will  be  putting  things 
together,  and  if  you  ride  straight  over  to  Don  Ramon  nowt 
they  will  think  it  is  because  of  something  the  doctor  has 
been  saying  to  you.  Then  if  it  should  chance  as  that  is  the 
place  they 'are  thinking  of,  it  air  long  odds  that  Sim  and 
the  doctor  get  a  knife  atween  their  shoulders  afore  bed-time. 
You  go  quietly  off  in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  just  jogging 
along  as  if  you  was  going  to  pay  a  visit  of  no  particular  account. 
They  ain't  got  no  interest  in  us,  except  as  to  this  expedition 
to  find  gold,  and  they  won't  concarn  themselves  in  your  move- 
ments as  long  as  I  am  here  at  the  hotel  and  the  others  ain't 
getting  ready  to  make  a  start.  They  have  learned  all  they 
want  to  learn  about  our  going." 

Just  as  the  sun  was  setting,  Hugh  set  out.  It  was  dark 
when  he  reached  Don  Ramon's  hacienda.  After  chatting  awhile 
with  Don  Ramon,  his  wife  and  son — the  two  girls,  their  father 
said,  being  somewhere  out  in  the  garden — Hugh  said  quietly 
to  the  Mexican  that  he  wanted  to  speak  to  him  for  a  moment 
in  private.  Don  Ramon  lighted  a  fresh  cigarette,  and  then 
said  carelessly,  "  It  is  a  lovely  evening,  we  may  as  well  stroll 
outside  and  find  the  girls.  I  don't  suppose  they  know  that 


"THE  MATTER  TOUCHES  us  NEARLY."  311 

you  are  here?"  Don  Carlos  followed  them  into  the  broad 
verandah  outside  the  house. 

"Your  son  can  hear  what  I  have  to  say,"  Hugh  said  in  reply 
co  an  inquiring  look  from  Don  Ramon,  and  then  reported  the 
conversation  that  Sim  had  overheard.  Father  and  son  were 
both  much  excited  at  the  statement  that  the  horse  had  been 
recognized. 

"Then  poor  Estafan's  murderers  are  somewhere  in  this 
neighbourhood  ! "  the  don  exclaimed.  "  That  is  the  part  of 
the  story  that  interests  me  most,  senor.  As  to  attacking  my 
hacienda,  I  don't  believe  they  would  venture  upon  it.  They 
must  know  that  they  would  meet  with  a  stout  resistance,  and 
El  Paso  is  but  three  miles  away.  Daring  as  they  are,  they 
would  scarcely  venture  on  such  an  undertaking ;  but  I  will,  of 
course,  take  every  precaution.  I  will  order  four  men  to  be  on 
guard  at  night,  bid  the  others  sleep  with  their  arms  ready 
at  hand,  and  see  that  the  shutters  and  doors  are  barred  at 
night.  But  the  other  matter  touches  us  nearly.  If  Estafan's 
murderers  are  in  the  province  we  will  hunt  them  down  if  I 
have  to  arm  all  the  vaqueros  and  peons,  and  have  a  regular 
campaign  against  them. 

"  You  were  quite  right  not  to  mention  this  before  my  wife  \ 
she  and  my  daughters  had  better  know  nothing  about  it.  By 
the  way,  I  wonder  where  the  girls  are ;  they  are  not  generally 
as  late  as  this.  I  suppose  the  evening  has  tempted  them ;  it 
is  full  moon  to-morrow."  He  raised  his  voice  and  called  the 
girls.  There  was  no  reply.  "  Carlos,  do  you  go  and  look  for 
them,  and  tell  them  from  me  to  come  up  to  the  house ;  and 
now,  senor,  we  will  have  a  cup  of  coffee." 

In  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Carlos  returned.  "  I  cannot  find 
them,  father.  I  have  been  all  round  the  garden  calling  theiv  .'' 

Don  Ramon  rose  from  his  seat  and  struck  a  bell  on  \jie 
table.  "  They  must  have  gone  up  to  their  rooms,"  he  said, 
"  without  coming  in  here."  When  the  servant  appeared,  he 


312 

said,  "  Rosita,  go  up  to  the  senoritas'  room,  and  tell  them  that 
Don  Hugh  Tunstall  is  here." 

"  They  are  not  there,  seiior.  I  have  just  come  down  from 
their  rooms." 

"  What  can  have  become  of  them,  Carlos  ?  "  Don  Ramon  said. 

"  I  have  no  idea,  father ;  they  had  Lion  with  them.  He  was 
asleep  here  when  they  called  him  from  outside,  and  I  saw  him 
get  up  and  dash  through  the  open  window." 

"I  can't  understand  it,"  the  don  said  anxiously,  "for  the 
evening  is  cold ;  besides,  they  would  scarcely  go  outside  the 
garden  after  nightfall." 

"  They  might  be  down  at  Chaquita's  cottage,  father." 

"  Oh,  yes  !  I  didn't  think  of  that,  Carlos,"  Don  Ramon  said. 
"  Yes,  they  are  often  down  at  their  old  nurse's.  Rosita,  tell 
Juan  to  go  down  to  Chaquita's  cottage  and  beg  the  young 
ladies  to  return,  as  I  want  them." 

In  ten  minutes  the  servant  came  back. 

"  They  are  not  there,  sefior ;  they  left  there  just  as  it  was 
getting  dark." 

"  Surely  there  is  nothing  to  be  uneasy  about,  Ramon  !  "  his 
wife  said.  "  The  girls  are  often  out  as  late  as  this  on  a  moon- 
light evening.  They  are  sure  to  be  about  the  garden,  some- 
where." 

"  But  Carlos  has  been  round,"  Don  Ramon  said.  "  Well,  we 
will  go  and  have  another  look  for  them."  Followed  by  the  two 
young  men  he  stepped  out  on  to  the  verandah.  "  Carlos,"  he 
said,  "  go  round  to  the  men's  quarters  and  tell  them  your  sisters 
are  missing,  and  that  they  are  all  to  turn  out  and  search. 
I  don't  like  this,"  he  said  to  Hugh,  after  his  son  had  left. 
"  I  should  have  thought  nothing  of  it  at  any  other  time,  but 
after  what  you  have  just  been  telling  me,  I  feel  nervous. 
Now,  let  us  go  round  the  garden." 

They  traversed  all  the  walks,  Don  Ramon  repeatedly  calling 
the  girls'  names.  They  were  joined  in  their  search  by  Don 


"BLOOD  ON  THE  PATH."  313 

Carlos  and  a  number  of  the  men.  "  They  are  certainly  not  in 
the  garden,"  Don  Ramon  said  at  last.  "  Now,  let  us  go  down 
towards  Chaquita's  cottage ;  they  may  either  have  followed  the 
road  on  their  way  back,  or  have  come  along  a  by-path  to  the 
garden.  We  will  go  by  the  path,  and  return  the  other 
way." 

The  path  lay  through  a  shrubbery.  Just  as  they  entered  it, 
a  man  met  them  running. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  Juan?  "  Don  Ramon  asked  as  he  came  up 
and  he  could  see  his  face  by  the  light  of  the  torches  some  of 
the  men  were  carrying. 

"  I  don't  know,  senor,  but  we  have  just  come  upon  some 
fresh  blood  on  the  path." 

With  a  cry  of  alarm  Don  Ramon  ran  forward  with  his  son 
and  Hugh.  Fifty  yards  farther  they  saw  two  of  the  men 
standing  with  torches  in  the  middle  of  the  path. 

"Here  is  blood,  sefior,"  one  of  them  said.  "We  passed  it 
without  noticing  it  on  our  way  to  the  cottage;  we  were  not 
examining  the  ground ;  but  on  our  way  back  the  light  of  the 
torches  fell  upon  it." 

Don  Ramon  stood  staring  in  speechless  horror  at  a  large 
patch  of  blood  on  the  path.  "  There  has  been  a  struggle  here," 
Hugh  said,  examining  the  ground.  "  See  !  there  are  marks  of 
large  feet.  Some  of  them  have  trod  in  the  blood.  See,  Don 
Carlos  !  "  and  he  pointed  to  a  line  of  blood  drops  leading  to  one 
of  the  bushes. 

"  Search,  Hugh,"  the  young  man  groaned,  "  I  dare  not." 

Hugh  motioned  one  of  the  men  with  a  torch  to  follow  him. 
The  father  and  son  stood  gazing  after  them  as  they  entered 
the  bushes.  A  moment  later  Hugh  called  out : 

"  It  is  the  dog,  senors,  there  is  nothing  else." 

An  exclamation  of  joy  broke  from  the  two  Mexicans. 
They  were  at  least  relieved  of  the  overpowering  dread  that 
had  seized  them  at  the  sight  of  the  blood,  and  at  once  joined 


314  HE   DIED   IN  THEIR  DEFENCE. 

Hugh.  The  dog,  a  fine  Cuban  blood-hound,  was  lying  dead, 
stabbed  in  a  dozen  places. 

"  What  can  it  mean,  father?  "  Don  Carlos  said  in  a  low  voic 

"  I  can  hardly  think,"  the  Mexican  said,  passing  his  hanj 
across  his  forehead. 

"  I  am  afraid,  senor,  it  is  too  evident,"  Hugh  put  in.  "  This 
is  the  explanation  of  what  my  friend  heard.  The  brigands 
did  not  intend  to  attack  the  hacienda.  They  have  carried  off 
your  daughters,  and  the  hound  has  died  in  their  defence." 

"That  must  be  it,"  Don  Ramon  exclaimed  in  the  deepest 
anguish.  "  Oh,  my  poor  girls,  how  can  it  have  happened  !  " 

"  I  expect  they  were  in  hiding  here,"  Hugh  said,  "  and  sprang 
up  suddenly  and  seized  and  gagged  the  senoritas  before  they 
had  time  to  scream.  The  hound  doubtless  sprang  upon  them, 
and,  as  you  see,  they  killed  it  with  their  knives." 

"  What  is  to  be  done  ?  "  Don  Ramon  asked  hopelessly. 

"  The  first  thing  is  to  follow  the  path  down  to  the  road," 
Hugh  said ;  "  probably  they  had  horses  somewhere.  Will  you 
tell  the  men  to  go  along  cautiously  with  their  torches  near  the 
ground." 

Don  Carlos  gave  the  order  in  Mexican.  One  of  the  party, 
who  was  the  chief  hunter  at  the  hacienda,  went  a  little  ahead 
of  the  others  with  a  torch.  He  stopped  a  short  distance  before 
he  reached  the  junction  of  the  path  with  the  road,  which  they 
could  see  ahead  of  them  in  the  moonlight. 

"  Here  are  fresh  marks  of  horses'  hoofs,"  he  said.  "  See," 
and  he  held  the  torch  above  his  head  and  pointed  to  the  bushes, 
"  twigs  have  been  broken,  and  there  are  fresh  leaves  upon  the 
ground.  The  horses  must  have  been  hidden  here.  Do  not  move 
until  I  examine  down  to  the  road."  He  went  forward  alone, 
and  returned  in  two  or  three  minutes.  "  There  are  faint  tracks 
from  the  road  to  this  point ;  they  came  along  at  a  walk.  There 
are  deep  ones  down  to  the  road,  and  along  it ;  they  went  off  at 
a  gallop.  There  were  six  of  them." 


"WE   MUST   DO   NOTHING  RASH."  315 

"What  is  to  be  done,  senor?"  Don  Ramon  said  to  Hugh. 
"  My  brain  seems  on  fire,  and  I  cannot  think." 

"  I  should  imagine  your  daughters  can  be  in  no  immedial 
danger,  senor,"  Hugh  said  quietly.  "  The  brigands  have  doubt- 
less carried  them  off  in  order  to  wring  a  heavy  ransom  from 
you.  They  must  have  got  two  hours'  start,  and  I  fear  pursuit 
would  be  useless  to-night,  though  I  would  send  three  of  the 
men  accustomed  to  tracking  on  at  once  to  follow  their  traces, 
and  to  learn  the  direction  they  have  taken  after  leaving  here. 
Of  course  it  will  be  for  you  to  decide  whether  you  will  go 
down  to  the  town  and  see  the  alcalde,  and  obtain  a  posse  of 
men  to  join  your  vaqueros  in  a  search  for  them,  and  then  to 
cross  the  river  to  the  fort  and  get  the  help  of  the  troops,  and 
scour  the  whole  country;  or  whether  you  will  wait  until  you 
hear,  as  you  doubtless  will,  from  the  brigands." 

"Let  us  go  back  to  the  house,"  Don  Ramon  replied;  "we 
must  think  it  over.  We  must  not  do  anything  rash,  or  we 
might  endanger  their  lives."  The  news  had  reached  the  house 
before  they  arrived  there.  Donna  Maria  was  completely  pros- 
trated with  grief,  the  women  were  crying  and  wringing  their 
hands,  and  the  wildest  confusion  prevailed.  Don  Ramon  had 
by  this  time  recovered  himself,  and  sternly  ordered  silence. 
He  then  proceeded  to  the  room  where  his  wife  had  been  car- 
ried, and  endeavoured  to  assure  her  that  there  was  little  fear 
for  their  daughters'  lives,  for  the  brigands  could  have  no  pur- 
pose in  injuring  them,  and  had  only  carried  them  off  for  the 
purpose  of  exacting  a  ransom. 

"What  do  you  really  think  had  best  be  done,  my  friend?" 
Don  Carlos  asked  Hugh  when  they  were  alone  together.  "  Of 
course,  whatever  ransom  these  villains  ask  must  be  paid,  al- 
though I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  something  enormous.  But 
it  is  terrible  to  think  of  the  girls  being  even  for  an  hour  in  their 
hands,  especially  when  we  feel  sure  that  these  men  are  ti 
murderers  of  my  brother." 


316  "I   HAVE  A   CLUE." 

"  I  should  say,"  Hugh  replied,  "  that  whatever  they  demand 
must  be  paid.  It  will  not  do  to  risk  the  senoritas'  lives  by 
doing  anything  as  long  as  they  are  in  their  hands.  But  I 
should  advise  that  the  moment  they  are  free  we  should  fall  upon 
these  scoundrels  and  exterminate  them,  and  recover  the  ran- 
som. I  think  that  I  have  a  clue  to  the  place  where  they  are 
likely  to  be  taken.  One  of  my  miner  friends  was  speaking  to 
me  of  a  place  that  would  be  likely  to  be  used  for  such  a  pur- 
pose. He  could  lead  a  party  there.  But  it  would  never  do  to 
attempt  it  while  the  ladies  are  in  their  hands.  You  may  be 
sure  that  a  careful  watch  will  be  kept,  and  at  the  first  alarm 
the  villains  might  murder  them.  We  will  hear  what  your 
father  says  when  he  returns,  and  if  he  thinks,  as  I  do,  that  we 
can  attempt  nothing  until  he  receives  some  communication  from 
the  brigands,  I  will  ride  back  to  El  Paso  and  consult  my  friends 
there." 

Don  Ramon  on  his  return  said  that  he  was  strongly  of 
opinion  that  it  would  risk  the  girls'  lives  were  any  movement 
made  until  he  heard  of  them.  As  he  could  be  of  no  utility 
Hugh  rode  over  to  El  Paso,  Don  Carlos  saying  that  he  would 
let  him  know  the  instant  they  received  any  communication 
from  the  brigands,  but  that  he  should  anyhow  see  him  in  the 
morning,  as  he  should  ride  over  with  his  father  to  report  the 
matter  to  the  authorities.  It  was  past  ten, o'clock  when  Hugh 
reached  the  hotel.  It  happened  to  be  a  festa,  and  the  square 
was  full  of  people,  and  the  cafe's  and  wine-shops  open.  Royce 
was  in  the  bar-room  of  the  hotel. 

"  Royce,  do  you  know  where  Sim  and  the  doctor  are  likely 
to  be  found  ?  " 

"  I  saw  them  sitting  in  front  of  the  wine-shop  in  the  corner 
of  the  square,  not  more  than  ten  minutes  ago." 

"  Come  along  with  me,  then,  Bill." 

"  But  I  thought  we  were.n't  to  be  seen  with  them  ?  "  Royce 
said. 


"l  WANT  TO  TALK   TO  YOU   BADLY."  317 

"There  can  be  no  reason  against  it  now,"  Hugh  replied. 
"They  have  learned  all  they  wanted  to  learn  about  it,  and 
know  that  we  are  going  together.  At  any  rate  our  meeting 
would  seem  to  be  accidental." 

"  Is  anything  up,  Hugh  ?  "  Royce  asked  as  they  made  their 
way  through  the  crowd  in  the  square.  "You  look  troubled." 

"  I  will  tell  you  directly,  Bill." 

"  There  they  are.     They  are  still  at  the  same  table,  Hugh." 

There  were  two  empty  chairs  at  the  table.  Hugh  nodded 
carelessly  to  the  doctor  and  Sim,  and  sat  down  beside  them. 

"  After  what  you  told  me  this  morning,  doctor,  there  can  be 
no  harm  in  our  being  seen  together.  I  want  to  talk  to  you 
badly.  There  are  too  many  people  about  here.  Do  you  mind 
both  coming  down  to  the  river.  We  can  talk  as  we  go." 

Directly  they  were  out  of  the  square  he  told  the  three  men 
what  had  happened. 

"  Carried  off  those  two  young  ladies  ! "  Royce  exclaimed.  "  By 
thunder,  that  is  too  bad.  What  is  to  be  done,  boys  ?  " 

"  Let  us  wait  until  we  know  all  about  it,"  Sim  replied ;  while 
the  doctor  said,  in  his  quiet  way,  "This  has  really  got  to  be 
put  a  stop  to.  Let  us  wait  until  we  are  down  by  the  river. 
We  must  hear  all  this  quietly,  Lightning.  Four  men  can't 
talk  as  they  walk." 

They  soon  gained  a  quiet  spot  away  from  the  houses. 

"  Now  tell  us  how  it  came  about,"  the  doctor  said,  "  and 
while  we  are  talking  each  of  you  keep  his  eyes  and  ears  open. 
We  have  behaved  like  fools  once,  and  let  ourselves  be  over- 
heard. We  won't  do  it  again." 

Hugh  told  the  whole  story  of  the  girls'  abduction,  and  stated 
the  determination  arrived  at  by  Don  Ramon,  not  to  attempt 
a  pursuit,  but  to  pay  whatever  ransom  was  demanded,  and  then 
to  hunt  the  brigands  down. 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  the  doctor  said;  "but  when  they 
have  once  got  the  money,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  it  will  be 


318  HUGH'S  PLAN. 

a  very  big  Sum,  they  will  divide  it  and  scatter ;  and  there  won't 
be  one  of  them  in  the  district  twelve  hours  after  the  girls  are 
given  up." 

"But  what  is  he  to  do,  doctor?"  Sim  Howlett  said.  "He 
daren't  move  till  he  gets  the  gals.  They  would  cut  their 
throats  sure  if  he  did." 

"  My  idea  was,  Sim,"  Hugh  said,  "  that  if  this  is  the  work 
of  the  band  in  that  house  the  doctor  was  telling  me  about  this 
morning,  we  could  be  in  hiding  near  it ;  and  directly  the  men 
who  take  the  girls  back  to  their  father  return  with  the  ransom, 
we  could  fall  upon  them,  destroy  the  whole  band,  and  get  back 
the  money." 

"  We  should  want  a  big  force  to  surround  the  place,"  Sim 
replied ;  "  and  there  would  be  no  getting  it  there  without  being 
seen.  You  bet  there  are  a  score  of  them  on  the  look-out,  and 
their  friends  would  bring  them  word,  long  before  we  got  there, 
of  such  a  force  being  on  the  way.  Besides,  there  is  no  surety 
that  it  is  the  place  where  the  gals  are,  and,  even  if  it  is,  the 
hull  band  may  leave  when  they  send  the  gals  away.  They 
may  scatter  all  over  the  country,  and  meet  again  at  night  fifty 
miles  off.  Another  thing  is,  you  may  bet  your  boots  there  will 
be  a  lot  of  trouble  about  handing  over  that  ransom,  and  they 
won't  give  'em  up  until  after  they  have  got  the  money." 

"  I  see  that  there  are  all  sorts  of  difficulties  before  us,  Sim, 
but  I  am  sure  you  and  the  doctor  will  see  some  way  out  of  it. 
I  am  deeply  interested  in  rescuing  these  poor  girls,  and  we  are 
all  interested  in  this  band  being  wiped  out  before  we  start." 

"  Have  you  any  plan  at  all?  "  the  doctor  asked.  "You  have 
had  longer  time  to  think  this  over  than  we  have." 

"  Well,  doctor,  my  idea  was  that  we  could  start  to-night  and 
get  to  some  place  among  the  hills,  where  we  could  hide  our 
horses  a  mile  or  two  from  this  house  where  we  suppose  they 
are.  We  should  lie  quiet  there  to-morrow.  The  next  evening 
we  should  make  our  way  down,  and  try  and  ascertain  for 


"WHAT  DO  YOU  SAY,  DOCTOR?"  319 

certain  whether  they  are  there,  and  see  whether  it  is  possible 
to  carry  them  off. 

"  Of  course  that  couldn't  be  attempted  unless  we  are  abso- 
lutely certain  of  being  able  to  protect  them.  If  we  could  get 
them  out  without  being  seen,  we  might  try  to  do  it.  If  it  is 
not  certain  we  could  do  that,  and  get  off  without  being  seen,  I 
should  say  one  of  us  should  ride  back  next  morning  to  Don 
Ramon  and  get  him  to  bring  up  twenty  or  thirty  of  his  men, 
or  if  not,  a  body  of  troops  from  the  fort.  We  should  guide 
them  at  night  to  a  point  as  near  the  house  as  it  would  be  safe 
for  them  to  get.  Then  we  four  could  crawl  down  to  the  house. 
The  moment  we  are  in  a  position  to  protect  the  girls,  that  is  to 
say  if  we  can  get  into  the  room  where  they  are  kept,  we  will 
fire  a  pistol-shot  out  of  the  window  as  a  signal.  Then  we  shall 
have  to  make  as  good  a  fight  of  it  as  we  can  till  the  others 
come  up  to  help  us. 

"  You  may  be  sure  that  the  brigands  will  be  all  pretty  well 
occupied  with  us,  and  the  other  party  will  be  able  to  surround 
the  house,  and  then  rush  in  to  our  assistance." 

"  That  looks  a  good  plan,  by  thunder  !  "  Sim  Hewlett  said. 
"What  do  you  say,  doctor?" 

"Well,  I  think  it  might  be  worked  somehow  on  those  lines," 
the  doctor  agreed.  "  I  don't  think  there  is  much  danger  for  the 
ladies,  because,  if  the  brigands  did  come  upon  us  when  we  were 
scouting,  some  of  them  would  attack  us,  and  the  rest  would 
carry  the  ladies  off  to  some  other  hiding-place.  I  don't  say  if 
they  were  surrounded  and  saw  no  chance  of  escape  they  mightn't 
kill  them  out  of  revenge,  but  they  would  never  do  that  until 
the  last  thing,  because  they  would  reckon,  and  truly  enough, 
that  as  long  as  they  are  in  their  hands  they  have  got  the  means 
of  making  terms  for  themselves.  But  to  one  thing  I  agree 
anyhow.  Let  us  get  our  horses  and  start  at  once.  Don't  let  us 
go  together.  We  will  meet  at  the  first  cross-road  a  mile  to  the 
west  of  the  town.  No  one  is  likely  to  notice  us  going  out. 


320 

There  are  plenty  of  people  who  have  come  in  from  the  country 
to  this  festa ;  besides,  just  at  present  they  won't  be  watching 
us.  They  know  what  our  plans  are,  and  that  we  don't  intend 
to  start  for  another  week,  and  they  won't  be  giving  a  thought 
to  us  until  this  affair  of  the  girls  is  settled.  What  do  you  say, 
Sim?" 

"  That  is  right  enough,"  Sim  said ;  "  but  we  must  be  careful 
about  the  roads,  doctor.  Like  enough  they  will  have  a  man 
on  every  road  going  anywhere  near  the  place,  and  perhaps  miles 
away." 

"Yes,  we  must  make  a  big  circuit,"  the  doctor  agreed. 
"  Strike  the  hills  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  away  from  their  place, 
and  then  work  up  through  them  so  as  to  come  down  right  from 
the  other  side." 

"Shall  I  get  some  provisions  at  the  hotel?"  Hugh  asked. 

"  No ;  we  will  attend  to  that.  There  are  plenty  of  places 
open,  and  we  will  get  what  is  wanted.  Now,  do  you  and  Bill 
go  back  by  yourselves ;  we  will  follow  in  a  minute  or  two." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  BRIGANDS'  HAUNT. 

BY  daybreak  on  the  following  morning  Hugh  and  his  three 
companions  were  far  among  the  hills.  They  had  halted 
an  hour  before,  and  intended  to  wait  until  noon  before  pursu- 
ing their  journey.  They  had  already  been  eight  hours  in  the 
saddle,  and  had  travelled  over  sixty  miles.  They  had  halted 
in  a  little  valley  where  there  was  plenty  of  grass  for  the  horses, 
and  after  cooking  some  food  lay  down  and  slept  until  the  sun 
was  nearly  overhead.  Fortunately,  the  two  miners  had  trav- 
ersed the  country  several  times,  and  were  able  to  lead  them 
across  the  mountains,  where  otherwise  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible to  find  a  way. 

After  four  hours'  riding,  on  emerging  from  a  valley  the 
doctor  said : 

"There,  do  you  see  that  village  three  miles  away?  That  h 
the  village  where  we  stopped.  The  gorge  in  which  the  house 
lies  runs  from  the  village  in  this  direction.  You  cannot  see  it 
here :  it  is  a  sort  of  canon  cut  out  ages  ago  by  the  water.  The 
sides  are  nearly  perpendicular;  but  at  the  upper  end  the  bottom 
rises  rapidly,  and,  as  far  as  we  could  see  from  the  spot  from 
which  we  looked  at  it,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  getting  down 
there.  As  you  see,  there  are  woods  lying  back  to  the  left.  We 
have  got  to  come  down  at  the  back  of  them,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  our  being  seen  even  if  they  have  got  men  on  the  look- 
out on  the  high  ground  above  the  house.  They  will  be  looking 
the  other  way;  they  can  see  miles  across  the  plain  there.  Of 


322  "NOW,  WHAT  ARE  WE  GOING  TO  DO?" 

course  they  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  anyone  knows  of 
their  haunt;  still,  they  are  always  on  the  look-out  against 
treachery." 

"  Well,  let's  go  on  at  a  trot  now,  doctor.  We  shall  be  in  the 
wood  before  sunset." 

When  they  reached  the  trees  they  dismounted,  and  led  their 
horses  until  they  perceived  daylight  through  the  trunks  en  tb^ 
opposite  side. 

"Now  we  will  finish  the  remainder  of  our  dinner,"  the  doc- 
tor said,  "  and  talk  matters  over.  We  are  about  half  a  mile 
now  from  the  end  of  the  valley,  and  it  is  another  half-mile 
down  to  the  house.  Now,  what  are  we  going  to  do?  Are  we 
all  going,  or  only  one?  " 

Hugh  was  silent.  These  men  understood  matters  better  than 
he  did. 

"  Only  one,  of  course,"  Sim  Hewlett  said.  "The  others  can 
come  on  to  the  top  of  the  valley  so  as  to  lend  a  hand  if  he  is 
chased;  but  it  would  be  just  chucking  away  lives  for  more  than 
one  to  go.  Well,  it  is  either  you  or  me,  doc." 

"Why?  "  Hugh  asked.  "I  am  quite  ready  to  go,  and  I  am 
sure  Bill  is  too.  Besides,  this  question  «*  +^*  young  ladies  is 
more  my  affair  than  yours,  since  you  do  not  know  them,  and 
I  certainly  think  I  ought  to  be  the  one  to  go." 

"  There  is  one  reason  agin  it,  Lightning, "  Sim  said.  "  What 
you  say  is  true,  and  if  it  came  to  running  you  could  leg  it  a  good 
bit  faster  than  the  doc.  or  me;  but  that  don't  count  for  much 
in  the  dark.  It  is  creeping  and  crawling  that  is  wanted  more 
than  running.  The  reason  why  the  doc.  or  I  must  go  is,  you 
don't  speak  Mexican,  and  we  do.  It  ain't  likely  that  the  young 
ladies  will  be  seen  out  in  the  verandah,  and  one  can't  go  and 
look  into  each  of  the  windows  till  we  find  the  right  one.  We 
have  got  to  listen,  and  that  way  we  may  find  whether  they 
are  there,  and  if  we  are  lucky,  which  room  they  are  in.  So  you 
see  it  is  for  one  of  us  to  go." 


"  A  WONDERFUL   MAN   IS   THE   DOCTOR  !  "  323 

"I  shall  go,  Sim,"  the  doctor  said  quietly.  "I  can  walk  as 
lightly  as  a  cat.  I  haven't  above  half  as  much  bulk  to  hide  as 
you  have,  and  I  am  cunning  while  you  are  strong,  and  this  is 
a  case  where  cunning  is  of  more  use  than  strength.  So  it  is 
settled  that  I  go ;  but  you  may  as  well  give  me  your  six-shooter. 
I  may  want  twelve  barrels." 

"  I  shall  be  sorry  for  the  Mexicans  if  you  use  them  all,  doc.," 
Sim  Hewlett  said,  handing  over  his  pistol  to  the  doctor.  "  I 
would  rather  go  myself ;  but  I  know  when  you  have  once  made 
up  your  mind  to  anything  it  ain't  no  sort  of  use  argying." 

"That's  right,"  the  doctor  said,  putting  the  weapon  into  his 
belt.  "  Well,  there  is  just  time  for  a  pipe  before  I  start.  The  sun 
has  been  down  nearly  half  an  hour,  and  the  moon  won't  be  up 
over  those  hills  there  for  another  hour,  so  we  shall  have  it  dark 
till  I  get  well  down  into  the  valley,  and  the  moon  won't  be  high 
enough  to  throw  its  light  down  there  afore  I  am  back  again." 

"A  wonderful  man  is  the  doctor !  "  Sim  Howlett  said  when, 
with  noiseless  step,  he  had  made  his  way  down  into  the  upper 
end  of  the  ravine.  "You  wouldn't  think  much  of  him  to  look 
at  him.  But,  you  bet,  he  has  got  as  much  grit  as  if  he  was 
ten  times  as  big.  See  him  going  about,  and  you  would  say  he 
might  be  one  of  them  missionaries,  or  a  scientific  chap  such  as 
those  as  comes  round  looking  after  birds  and  snakes  and  such 
like.  He  sorter  seems  most  like  a  woman  with  his  low  talk 
and  gentle  way,  and  yet  I  suppose  he  has  killed  more  downright 
bad  men  than  any  five  men  on  this  side  of  Missouri." 

"You  don't  say  so !  "  Hugh  said  in  surprise. 

"  Yes,  sir,  he  is  a  hull  team  and  a  little  dog  under  the  waggon, 
he  is.  He  ain't  a  chap  to  quarrel;  he  don't  drink,  and  he  don't 
gamble,  and  he  speaks  everyone  fair  and  civil.  It  ain't  that; 
but  he  has  got  somethin'  in  him  that  seems  to  swell  up  when 
he  hears  of  bad  goings-on.  When  there  is  a  real  bad  man 
comes  to  the  camp  where  he  is,  and  takes  to  bossing  the  show, 
and  to  shooting  free,  after  a  time  you  can  see  the  doctor  gets 


324  "ENOUGH  TO  SCARE  A  MAN." 

oncomfortable  in  his  mind;  but  he  goes  on  till  that  bad  man 
does  something  out  of  the  way — shoots  a  fellow  just  out  of  pure 
cussedness,  or  something  of  that  kind — then  he  just  says  this 
must  be  put  down,  and  off  he  goes  and  faces  that  bad  man  and 
gives  him  a  fair  show  and  lays  him  out." 

"You  mean  he  doesn't  fire  until  the  other  man  is  heeled, 
Sim?" 

"Yes,  I  mean  that." 

"Then  how  is  it  he  hasn't  got  killed  himself?" 

"  That  is  what  we  have  said  a  hundred  times,  Lightning. 
He  has  been  shot  all  over,  but  never  mortally.  One  thing,  his 
looks  are  enough  to  scare  a  man.  Somehow  he  don't  look  alto- 
gether arthly  with  that  white  hair  of  his — and  it  has  been  the 
same  colour  ever  since  I  have  known  him — floating  back  from  his 
face.  He  goes  in  general  bareheaded  when  he  sets  out  to  shoot, 
and  the  hair  somehow  seems  to  stand  out;  not  a  bit  like  it 
does  other  times.  I  heard  a  chap  who  had  been  a  doctor  afore 
he  took  to  gold-digging  say  his  hair  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
electrified.  Then  he  gets  as  white  as  snow,  and  his  eyes  just 
blaze  out.  I  tell  you,  sirree,  it  is  something  frightful  to  see 
him;  and  when  he  comes  right  into  a  crowded  saloon  and  says 
to  the  man,  as  he  always  does  say  in  a  sort  of  tone  that  seems 
somehow  to  frizz  up  the  blood  of  every  man  that  hears  it, 
'It  is  time  for  you  to  die ! '  you  bet  it  makes  the  very  hardest 
man  weaken.  I  tell  you  I  would  rather  face  Judge  Lynch  and 
a  hundred  regulators  than  stand  up  agin  the  doctor  when  his 
fit  is  on;  and  I  have  seen  men  who  never  missed  their  mark 
afore  shoot  wide  of  him  altogether." 

"And  he  never  misses?  "  Royce  asked. 

"  Miss !  "  Sim  repeated ;  "  the  doctor  couldn't  miss  if  he  tried. 
I've  never  known  his  bullet  go  a  hair's-breadth  off  the  mark. 
It  always  hits  plumb  in  the  centre  of  the  forehead.  If  there 
is  more  than  one  of  them,  the  doc.  turns  on  the  others  and 
warns  them :  'Git  out  of  the  camp  afore  night ! '  and  you  bet  they 


"THE  BEST  MATE  A  MAN  EVER  HAD."  325 

git.  He  gives  me  a  lot  of  trouble,  the  doc.  does,  in  the  way  of 
nursing.  I  have  put  it  to  him  over  and  over  again  if  it  is  fair 
on  me  that  he  should  be  on  his  back  three  months  every  year, 
'cause  that  is  about  what  it's  been  since  I  have  known  him. 
He  allows  as  it  ain't  fair,  but,  as  he  says,  'It  ain't  me,  Sim,  I 
have  got  to  do  it;  I  am  like  a  Malay  running  a-muck — them's 
chaps  out  somewhere  near  China,  he  tells  me,  as  gets  mad  and 
goes  for  a  hull  crowd — and  I  can't  help  it; '  and  I  don't  think  he 
can.  And  yet  you  know  at  other  times  he  is  just  about  the 
kindest  chap  that  breathes.  He  is  always  a-nussing  the  sick 
and  sitting  up  nights  with  them,  and  such  like.  That  is  why 
he  got  the  name  of  doctor." 

"He  isn't  a  doctor  really  then?  "  Hugh  asked. 

"Waal,  Lightning,  all  that's  his  secret,  and  ef  he  thinks  to 
tell  you,  he  can  do  it.  I  know  he  is  the  best  mate  a  man  ever 
had,  and  one  of  the  best  critters  in  God's  universe,  and  that 
is  good  enough  for  me.  I  reckon  he  must  be  somewhere  down 
among  them  Mexikins  by  this  time,"  he  went  on,  changing  the 
subject  abruptly. 

"I  almost  wish  one  of  us  had  gone  with  him,"  Royce  said, 
"  so  that  if  he  should  get  found  out  we  might  make  a  better 
fight  of  it." 

"He  ain't  likely  to  get  found  out,"  Sim  said  quietly,  "and 
ef  he  does  he  kin  fight  his  way  out.  I  don't  know  what  way 
the  doctor  will  die,  but  I  allowed  years  ago  that  it  weren't 
going  to  be  by  a  bullet.  I  ain't  skeery  about  him.  Ef  I  had 
thought  there  wur  any  kind  of  risk,  I  would  have  gone  with 
him,  you  bet." 

It  was  two  hours  before  the  doctor  suddenly  stood  in  the 
moonlight  before  them.  They  had  been  listening  attentively 
for  some  time,  but  had  not  heard  the  slightest  sound  until  he 
emerged  from  the  shadow  of  the  ravine. 

"Well,  doctor,  are  we  on  the  right  scent?" 

"The  girls  are  there,  Sim,  sure  enough.     Now  let  us  go  back 


326  A    STRONGHOLD. 

to  the  wood  before  we  talk.  We  have  been  caught  asleep  once 
on  this  expedition,  when  we  thought  we  were  so  safe  that  we 
needn't  be  on  the  watch,  and  I  don't  propose  to  throw  away 
a  chance  again."  They  went  back  without  another  word  to 
the  wood.  As  soon  as  they  reached  it  the  doctor  sat  down  at 
the  foot  of  a  tree,  and  lighted  his  pipe;  the  others  followed 
ais  example. 

"Well,  there  was  no  danger  about  that  job,"  he  began.  "It 
seems  not  to  have  struck  the  fools  that  anyone  was  likely  to 
come  down  from  this  end  of  the  gulch.  Down  at  the  other 
end  they  have  got  two  sentries  on  each  side  upon  the  heights. 
I  could  see  them  in  the  moonlight.  I  reckon  they  have  some 
more  at  the  mouth  of  the  valley,  down  near  the  village;  but 
you  may  guess  I  asked  no  questions  about  it.  I  saw  no  one 
in  the  gulch  until  I  got  down  close  to  the  house.  It  is  as 
strong  a  place  as  if  it  had  been  built  for  the  purpose.  It  stands 
on  a  sort  of  table  of  rock  that  juts  out  from  the  hill-side;  so 
that  on  three  sides  it  goes  straight  down.  There  is  a  space 
round  the  house  forty  or  fifty  feet  wide. 

"  On  the  side  where  the  rock  stands  out  from  the  hill  they 
have  got  a  wall  twelve  feet  high,  with  a  strong  gate  in  it.  On 
that  side  of  the  house  they  have  bricked  all  the  windows  up, 
so  as  to  prevent  their  being  commanded  by  a  force  on  the  hill- 
side above  them,  and  all  the  windows  on  the  ground-floor  all 
round  are  bricked  up  too.  I  expect  the  rooms  are  lighted 
from  a  courtyard  inside.  So  you  see  it  is  a  pretty  difficult  sort 
of  place  to  take  all  of  a  sudden.  I  could  hear  the  voices  of  five 
or  six  men  sitting  smoking  and  talking  outside  the  door,  which 
is  not  on  the  side  facing  the  hill,  but  on  the  other  side.  I 
guessed  that  when  the  house  was  built  there  must  have  been 
steps  up  from  that  side,  for  there  is  a  road  that  runs  along  the 
bottom  of  the  valley;  so  I  crawled  up  and  found  that  it  was  so. 
There  had  been  a  broad  flight  of  steps  there ;  they  had  been 
broken  away  and  pulled  down,  still  they  were  good  enough  for 


THE  DOCTOR'S  REPORT.  327 

me.  There  were  one  or  two  blocks  still  sticking  out  from  the 
rock,  and  there  were  holes  where  other  blocks  had  been  let  in, 
and  I  made  a  shift  to  climb  up  without  much  difficulty  till  I 
got  my  eyes  level  with  the  top. 

"The  moon  hadn't  risen  over  the  brow,  still  it  was  lighter 
than  I  liked;  but  one  had  to  risk  something;  so  I  first  of  all 
pulled  myself  up,  crawled  along  the  edge  till  I  got  round  the 
corner,  and  then  went  up  to  the  house  and  examined  the 
windows  on  the  other  side,  and  then  got  back  to  the  top  of  the 
steps  and  began  to  listen.  I  soon  heard  the  girls  were  there. 
They  had  brought  them  straight  there  after  they  had  carried 
them  off.  A  man  had  started  early  the  next  morning  with 
a  letter  to  Don  Ramon  demanding  ransom.  He  was  expected 
back  some  time  to-night.  They  had  had  news  that  so  far  the 
don  was  taking  no  steps  to  raise  the  country,  though  the  news 
of  the  girls  being  carried  off  was  generally  known.  I  didn't 
hear  what  the  sum  named  for  the  ransom  was;  but  the  men 
were  talking  over  what  they  should  each  do  with  their  share 
of  it,  and  they  reckoned  that  each  would  have  seven  or  eight 
thousand  dollars. 

"Well,  there  wasn't  anything  new  about  this.  The  matter 
of  interest  to  us  was  which  was  the  room  where  the  girls  were. 
As  the  journey  would  have  been  of  no  sort  of  use  if  I  could  not 
find  that  out,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  get  up  again  and 
crawl  along  to  the  house.  I  had  reckoned  that  I  should  most 
likely  want  my  rope,  and  had  wound  it  round  my  waist.  There 
was  a  guard  at  the  gate,  so  it  was  one  of  the  sides  I  had  to  try. 

"  I  had  learned  from  what  the  men  said  that  most  of  the  gang 
were  away  scattered  all  over  the  country  down  to  El  Paso,  so 
as  to  bring  news  at  once  if  there  was  any  search  for  the  girls 
going  on.  The  chief  and  his  lieutenant  were  down  in  the 
village,  and  would  ride  in  with  the  messenger  who  brought 
down  Ramon's  answer.  There  was  a  guard  inside  the  house, 
because  the  men  at  the  fire  said  it  was  time  for  two  of  them  to 


328  "  WELL  DONE,   DOCTOR  !  " 

go  and  relieve  them;  but  I  guessed  that  otherwise  the  house  was 
empty.  I  threw  my  rope  over  a  balcony  and  climbed  up,  opened 
the  fastening  of  the  window  with  my  knife,  and  went  in. 
Everything  was  quiet.  I  felt  my  way  across  the  room  to  a 
window  on  the  other  side.  I  opened  that  and  looked  down  into 
the  courtyard.  Two  or  three  lanterns  were  burning  there,  and 
I  saw  two  men  sitting  on  a  bench  that  was  placed  across  a  door. 
They  were  smoking  cigarettes,  and  had  their  guns  leaning 
against  the  wall  beside  them.  There  was  no  doubt  that  was 
the  room  where  the  girls  were. 

"  It  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  courtyard  to  that  where 
I  was  standing — that  is,  on  the  side  of  the  house  facing  down 
the  valley, — and  was  the  corner  room. 

"  I  had  learned  everything  I  wanted  now,  so  I  had  nothing  to 
do  but  to  shut  the  window,  slide  down  the  rope,  shake  it  off 
the  balcony,  and  come  back  again;  and  here  I  am." 

"  Well  done,  doctor !  You  have  succeeded  splendidly.  But 
what  a  pity  we  didn't  all  go  with  you.  We  could  have  cleared 
out  that  lot  and  rescued  the  girls  at  once." 

"You  might  not  have  gone  as  quietly  as  I  did,"  the  doctor 
said.  "  Four  men  make  a  lot  more  noise  than  one,  and  at  the 
slightest  noise  the  seven  men  at  the  door  would  have  been 
inside,  the  door  bolted,  and  the  first  pistol  shot  would  have 
brought  in  the  guard  at  the  gate,  the  four  sentries  on  the 
height,  and  I  expect  as  many  more  from  the  mouth  of  the 
valley.  It  would  have  been  mighty  difficult  to  break  into  the 
house  with  nine  men  inside  and  as  many  out;  besides,  it  would 
never  do  to  run  risks;  and  even  if  we  had  done  it,  and  hadn't 
found  the  girls  with  their  throats  cut,  we  should  have  had  to 
fight  our  way  up  the  valley  to  the  horses,  and  a  bullet  might 
have  hit  one  of  them.  No,  no;  this  is  a  case  where  we  have 
no  right  to  risk  anything.  It's  for  the  don  to  decide  what  is 
to  be  done.  Now  we  know  all  about  it,  and  can  lay  it  before 
him.  Lightning,  you  had  better  saddle  up  and  ride  with  me. 


329 

You  must  go,  because  he  knows  you,  and  will  believe  what 
you  tell  him.  I  must  go,  because  he  will  want  me  to  guide 
the  force  back  here,  so  as  to  avoid  any  chance  of  their  being 
seen  on  the  way.  The  horses  have  done  eighty  miles  since  this 
time  yesterday,  so  it' s  no  use  thinking  of  starting  to-night.  Be- 
sides, there  is  no  hurry.  We  will  be  off  in  the  morning." 

After  breakfast  Sim  was  about  to  saddle  the  doctor's  horse, 
when  Royce  said : 

"  The  doctor  had  better  take  my  horse.  He  is  miles  faster 
than  his  own." 

The  girths  were  tightened.  The  doctor,  as  he  mounted,  said 
to  Sim,  "You  will  keep  a  sharp  look-out  over  the  house,  and 
reckon  up  hew  many  go  in  and  come  out.  I  expect  if  the 
don  writes  to  say  he  will  pay  the  money,  a  good  many  of  those 
outside  will  come  here." 

"We  will  keep  our  eyes  open,  doctor." 

"It  may  be  two  or  three  days  before  you  hear  of  us,  Sim." 

"There  is  no  hurry,  doctor.  There  will  be  a  lot  of  talk 
about  how  the  ransom  is  to  be  paid  afore  anything  is  done." 

"Do  you  mean  to  go  back  the  same  way  we  came?  "  Hugh 
asked  the  doctor  as  they  rode  off. 

"  No,  there  is  no  occasion  for  that.  We  will  ride  thirty  miles 
or  so  along  the  foot  of  the  hills,  east,  and  then  strike  straight 
by  road  for  El  Paso.  It  is  about  nine  o'clock  now.  We  shall 
be  there  by  five  o'clock.  We  won't  go  in  together.  I  will 
wait  on  the  road  and  come  in  by  some  other  way  after  dark,  or, 
what  would  be  better,  put  up  at  Josh's.  You  had  better  not 
go  up  to  the  don's  until  to-morrow  morning.  Were  you  to  go 
up  directly  you  returned,  the  scoundrels  who  are  watching  both 
you  and  the  don  might  suspect  that  your  journey  has  had  a 
connection  with  his  business." 

Next  morning  Hugh  arrived  at  Don  Ramon's,  having 
obtained  another  horse  at  the  hotel.  "Why,  where  have 
you  been,  Senor  Hugh?  "  Don  Carlos  exclaimed  as  the  servant 


330  A   DEMAND   FOR   RANSOM. 

showed  him  into  the  room  where  they  were  at  breakfast. 
"When  I  rode  with  my  father  into  the  town  to  give  the  alcalde 
notice,  I  went  to  the  hotel  and  found  that  you  were  out.  We 
sent  over  there  three  times  yesterday  and  the  day  before,  but 
they  knew  nothing  of  you.  You  had  taken  your  horse  and 
gone  out  the  evening  you  returned,  and  had  left  no  word  when 
you  would  come  back.  We  have  been  quite  anxious  about 
you,  and  feared  that  some  harm  had  befallen  you  also.  We 
were  quite  sure  that  you  would  not  have  left  without  telling 
us  of  your  intentions." 

"No,  indeed,"  Hugh  said.  "I  should  have  been  ungrateful 
indeed  for  your  kindness  if  I  had  left  you  in  such  terrible 
trouble ;  but  before  I  tell  you  what  I  have  been  doing,  please 
let  me  know  what  has  happened  here." 

"About  mid-day,  the  day  after  my  daughters  had  been 
stolen,"  Don  Ramon  said,  "a  horseman  rode  up.  I  saw  him 
coming,  and  guessed  he  was  the  man  we  were  expecting.  He 
was  shown  in  here,  and  Carlos  and  myself  received  him.  He 
handed  me  a  letter.  Here  it  is.  I  will  translate  it : 

"'Senor  Don  Ramon  Perales, — If  you  wish  to  see  your 
daughters  alive,  you  will,  as  speedily  as  possible,  collect 
200,000  dollars  in  gold  and  hand  them  over  to  the  messenger  I 
will  send  for  them.  When  I  receive  the  money  your  daughters 
shall  be  returned  to  you.  I  give  you  warning,'  that  if  any 
effort  is  made  to  discover  their  whereabouts,  or  if  any  armed 
body  is  collected  by  you  for  the  purpose  of  rescue,  your 
daughters  will  at  once  be  put  to  death.  Signed  Ignatius 
Guttiero.'  " 

"And  what  did  you  reply,  Don  Ramon?  " 

"  I  wrote  that  it  would  take  some  time  to  collect  so  great 
a  sum  in  gold,  but  that  I  would  send  up  to  Santa  F£  at  once, 
and  use  every  effort  to  get  it  together  in  the  shortest  possible 
time.  I  demanded,  however,  what  assurance  I  could  have  that 
after  the  money  was  paid  my  daughters  would  be  returned  t« 
me.  To  that  I  have  received  no  answer." 


"YOU   HAVE   FOUND  THAT  OUT!"  331 

"No,  you  could  hardly  get  one  before  this  morning,"  Hugh 
said.  "You  look  surprised,  sefior;  but  we  have  found  out 
where  they  are  hidden." 

"You  have  found  that  out!"  the  others  cried  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  My  companions  and  I,"  Hugh  said;  "  indeed,  beyond  riding 
a  good  many  miles,  I  have  had  but  little  to  do  with  the  matter. 
The  credit  lies  entirely  with  the  two  miners  I  spoke  to  you  of, 
with  whom  I  was  going  shortly  to  start  on  an  expedition  to  a 
placer  they  know  of." 

He  then  related  the  reason  why  the  miners  had  suspected 
where  the  gang  of  brigands  had  their  headquarters,  and  the 
steps  by  which  they  had  ascertained  that  the  girls  were  really 
there;  and  then  explained  the  scheme  that  he  and  the  doctor 
had,  on  their  ride  down,  arranged  for  their  rescue. 

Don  Ramon,  his  wife,  and  son  were  greatly  moved  at  the 
narrative.  "  You  have,  indeed,  rendered  us  a  service  that  we 
can  never  repay,"  Don  Ramon  said;  "but  the  risk  is  terrible. 
Should  you  fail  it  would  cost  you  your  lives,  and  would  ensure 
the  fate  of  my  daughters." 

"  We  are  in  no  way  afraid  about  our  own  lives,  Don  Ramon ; 
there  are  not  likely  to  be  more  than  twenty  of  these  scoundrels 
tkere,  and  if  we  were  discovered  before  we  could  get  to  your 
daughters  we  could  fight  our  way  off,  I  think.  In  that  case, 
seeing  that  there  were  only  four  of  us,  they  certainly  would 
not  throw  away  their  prospect  of  a  ransom  by  injuring  their 
captives.  They  would  suppose  that  we  had  undertaken  it  on 
our  own  account  as  a  sort  of  speculation,  and  though,  no  doubt, 
they  would  remove  your  daughters  at  once  to  some  other  place, 
they  would  not  injure  them.  You  see,  our  plan  is  that  the 
force  we  propose  shall  be  at  hand,  shall  not  advance  unless 
they  hear  three  shots  fired  at  regular  intervals.  That  will  be 
the  signal  that  we  have  succeeded  in  entering  your  daughters' 
apartment,  and  that  they  are  safe  with  us;  in  that  case  you 


332 

will  push  forward  at  once  to  assist  us.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
you  hear  an  outbreak  of  firing,  you  will  know  that  we  have 
been  discovered  before  we  reached  your  daughters,  and  will 
retreat  with  your  force  silently,  and  return  to  El  Paso  by  the 
same  route  by  which  you  went  out,  and  you  would  then,  of 
course,  continue  your  negotiations  for  a  ransom." 

"At  any  rate,"  Don  Carlos  said,  "  I  claim  the  right  of  accom- 
panying you.  It  is  my  sisters  who  are  in  peril,  and  I  will  not 
permit  strangers  to  risk  their  lives  for  them  when  I  remain 
safe  at  a  distance.  You  must  agree  to  that,  sefior." 

"I  agree  to  that  at  once,"  Hugh  said.  "I  thought  that  it 
was  probable  that  you  would  insist  upon  going  with  us;  it  is 
clearly  your  right  to  do  so." 

"It  must  not  be  attempted,"  Don  Ramon  said  gravely,  "if 
in  any  way  I  can  recover  my  daughters  by  paying  the  ransom. 
The  risk  would  be  terrible,  and  although  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  is  a  large  sum,  I  would  pay  it  four  times  over  rather 
than  that  risk  should  be  run.  The  question  is,  what  guar- 
antee the  brigands  will  give  that  they  will  return  their  captives 
after  they  have  received  the  money.  I  shall  know  that  soon; 
we  will  decide  nothing  until  I  receive  the  answer." 

"  Would  it  not  be  well,  senor,  for  you  to  go  over  to  arrange 
with  the  officer  in  command  of  the  fort  for  twenty  or  thirty 
men  to  start  with  you  at  a  moment's  notice.  If  you  decide  to 
make  this  attempt  to  rescue  your  daughters  the  sooner  we  set 
about  it  the  better,  that  is,  if  you  intend  to  take  troops  instead 
of  a  party  of  your  own  men." 

"I  have  already  seen  the  commandant,"  Don  Ramon  said; 
"  he  is  a  personal  friend,  and  rode  over  here  directly  he  heard 
the  news,  and  offered  to  place  the  whole  of  his  force  at  my 
disposal  should  I  think  fit  to  use  it." 

At  this  moment  a  servant  entered,  and  said  that  a  man 
wished  to  see  Don  Ramon.  The  Mexican  left  the  room,  and 
returned  in  a  minute  with  a  letter.  It  was  brief :  "  Senor,  if 


X 

I 

"WE  WILL  TRY   YOUR  PLAN."  333 

you  want  your  daughters  back  again  you  must  trust  us;  we 
give  no  guarantees  beyond  our  solemn  pledge.  You  will  tell 
my  messenger  on  what  day  you  will  have  the  money  ready, 
and  do  not  delay  more  than  a  week;  he  will  come  again  to 
fetch  it.  See  that  he  is  not  followed,  for  it  will  cost  your 
daughters  their  lives  if  an  attempt  is  made  to  find  out  where 
he  goes.  Your  daughters  will  be  returned  within  twenty-four 
hours  of  your  sending  out  the  money." 

"We  will  try  your  plan,  senor,"  Don  Ramon  said  firmly. 
"  I  would  not  trust  the  word  of  these  cut-throats,  or  their  oaths 
even,  in  the  smallest  matter,  and  assuredly  not  in  one  such  as 
this.  What  shall  I  say  in  reply  to  this  letter?  " 

"  I  should  write  and  say  that,  although  their  conditions  are 
hard,  you  must  accept  them,  but  that  you  doubt  whether  you 
can  raise  so  large  a  sum  of  gold  in  the  course  of  a  week,  and 
you  beg  them  to  give  ten  days  before  the  messenger  returns  for 
it,  and  you  pledge  your  honour  that  no  attempt  whatever  shall 
be  made  to  follow  or  to  ascertain  the  course  he  takes." 

Don  Ramon  wrote  the  letter,  and  took  it  down  to  the  hall, 
where  the  messenger  was  waiting,  surrounded  by  servants,  who 
were  regarding  him  with  no  friendly  aspect. 

"There  is  my  answer,"  Don  Ramon  said  as  he  handed  the 
letter  to  the  man.  "Tell  your  leader  I  shall  keep  my  word, 
and  that  I  trust  him  to  keep  his. 

"  Now,  Senor  Hugh,  will  you  give  me  the  details  of  your  plan. 
How  do  you  propose  that  the  troops  are  to  be  close  at  hand 
when  required  without  their  presence  being  suspected?  " 

"The  doctor's  idea  was  this,  sefior.  That  you  should  this 
morning  send  a  letter  by  a  servant  to  the  commandant.  Will 
you  tell  him  that  you  believe  you  have  a  clue  to  your  daugh- 
ters' hiding-place,  but  that  everything  depends  upon  the 
troops  getting  near  the  spot  without  suspicion  being  excited. 
Will  you  beg  him  to  maintain  an  absolute  silence  as  to  any 
movements  of  the  troops  until  to-night,  and  to  issue  no  orders 


334  THE  DETAILS   OF  THE   SCHEME. 

until  the  gates  are  shut  and  all  communication  closed.  Will 
he  then  order  an  officer  and  twenty  men  to  be  ready  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  to  start  under  the  guidance  of  a  miner 
who  will  to-night  arrive  at  the  fort  bearing  your  card. 

"This  will,  of  course,  be  the  doctor.  Request  the  officer  to 
place  himself  absolutely  in  his  hands.  Our  plan  is  that  they 
shall  keep  the  other  side  of  the  river,  travel  some  thirty  miles 
up,  and  then  halt  until  nightfall.  At  that  point  they  would 
be  as  far  off  from  the  brigands'  hiding-place  as  they  are  here, 
and  if  the  fact  that  a  detachment  has  started  becomes  known 
to  the  friends  of  the  brigands,  it  will  not  be  suspected  that 
there  is  any  connection  between  their  journey  and  the  affair 
with  your  daughters.  After  nightfall  they  will  start  again, 
cross  the  river,  and  meet  you  and  myself  at  one  o'clock,  near 
the  village  of  Ajanco.  Thence  we  shall  go  up  into  the  hills, 
rest  there  all  day,  and  come  down  upon  the  gulch  where  the 
brigands'  haunt  lies." 

"That  sounds  an  excellent  plan,  senor;  but  how  do  you  pro- 
pose that  we  shall  get  away  without  being  noticed  to-morrow 
evening?" 

"The  doctor  and  I  agreed  that  the  best  plan  you  could  adopt 
would  be  to  ride  over  and  see  your  banker  the  first  thing  in  the 
morning.  That  will  seem  perfectly  natural.  Then  in  the  even- 
ing, after  dark,  you  and  Don  Carlos  should  again  ride  down  to 
him.  You  will  naturally  take  at  least  four  of  your  men  down 
with  you  as  a  guard.  You  will  leave  your  horses  with  them 
when  you  enter  the  banker's.  You  will  then  pass  through  his 
house,  and  at  once  leave  by  the  back  entrance,  wrapped  in  your 
cloaks.  You  will  then  proceed  to  a  spot  half  a  mile  out  of  the 
town,  where  Juan,  who  you  say  knows  the  country,  will  be 
waiting  with  your  horses,  and  I  also  will  be  there. 

"  The  people  who  are  watching  you — and  you  will  certainly  be 
watched — will  naturally  suppose  that  you  are  at  the  banker's. 
At  ten  o'clock  he  will  come  to  the  door  and  tell  your  men  to 


THE    RENDEZVOUS.  335 

return  home  with  your  horses  and  to  bring  them  back  at  ten  in 
the  morning,  as  you  and  your  son  will  sleep  there.  Even  should 
anything  be  suspected — which  is  hardly  likely — the  scoundrels 
would  have  no  clue  whatever  as  to  the  direction  you  will  have 
taken,  as,  at  any  rate,  you  will  have  had  two  hours'  start  before 
they  can  begin  to  think  that  anything  is  wrong." 

"  That  is  a  capital  plan,  sefior.  You  keep  on  adding  to  our 
already  deep  obligations  to  you." 

Everything  was  carried  out  in  accordance  with  the  arrange- 
ments. Hugh  returned  at  once  to  El  Paso,  and  in  the  evening 
the  doctor  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  the  fort.  The  next 
day  passed  quietly,  and  as  soon  as  it  became  dark  Hugh  went 
out  to  the  stable,  saddled  his  horse  without  seeing  any  of  the 
men  about  the  yard,  and  rode  off  in  the  direction  of  Don 
Ramon's,  and  then,  making  a  circuit  of  the  town,  arrived  at 
the  spot  where  Juan  was  waiting  with  the  horses.  They  had 
been  placed  in  a  thicket  a  short  distance  from  the  road  so  as 
to  be  unobserved  by  anyone  who  might  happen  to  pass.  Hugh 
took  his  post  close  to  the  road,  and  an  hour  later  Don  Ramon 
and  his  son  came  up.  The  horses  were  at  once  brought  out, 
and  they  mounted  and  rode  off,  Juan  riding  ahead  to  show 
the  way. 

They  maintained  a  fast  pace,  for  at  one  o'clock  they  were 
to  meet  the  troops  at  the  appointed  place.  They  arrived  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  before  the  time,  and  ten  minutes  after  the 
hour  heard  the  tramping  of  horses.  The  doctor  was  riding 
ahead,  and  halted  when  he  came  up  to  the  group. 

"Has  all  gone  well,  Lightning?  "  he  asked. 

"Excellently,  as  far  as  we  know." 

"This  is  Lieutenant  Mason,  who  is  in  command  of  the 
troops, "  the  doctor  said  as  a  figure  rode  forward.  "  Lieutenant 
Mason,  this  is  Don  Ramon  Perales." 

"You  are  punctual,  sefior,"  the  officer  said.  "  I  have  orders 
to  place  myself  and  my  men  entirely  at  your  disposal.  I  think 


336  REACHING  THE   WOOD. 

we  had  better  have  half  an  hour's  halt  before  we  go  further. 
We  have  ridden  fast,  and  you  must  have  ridden  faster,  as  your 
guide  told  me  you  were  not  to  leave  El  Paso  until  eight  o'clock, 
and  I  presume  we  have  a  good  deal  farther  to  go  to-night." 

"Another  twenty  miles,"  the  doctor  said.  "The  moon  will 
be  getting  higher,  and  we  shall  want  all  her  light.  It  will  do 
no  harm  if  we  halt  an  hour,  lieutenant,  and  eat  our  supper 
while  the  horses  are  eating  theirs." 

During  the  halt  the  doctor  had  a  long  talk  with  Juan,  who 
came  from  this  part  of  the  country,  and  knew  it  well.  When 
they  mounted,  instead  of  riding  through  the  town,  they  struck 
off  by  a  by-path  before  they  reached  it. 

Three  hours  later  they  were  deep  among  the  hills,  and  then 
again  halted,  after  turning  off  from  the  track  they  had  been 
following,  into  a  ravine.  The  girths  were  loosened,  and  the 
horses  allowed  to  graze,  and  the  men,  wrapping  themselves  in 
cloaks  or  blankets,  were  soon  asleep,  a  sentry  being  placed  at 
the  entrance  to  the  ravine.  At  ten  o'clock  all  were  on  their 
feet.  Fires  were  lighted  and  breakfast  cooked,  and  then,  fol- 
lowing mountain  paths,  they  rode  until  two  in  the  afternoon, 
at  which  *time  they  reached  the  valley  from  which  the  party 
had  before  made  their  way  down  to  the  wood  near  the  ravine* 
At  dusk  they  again  mounted  and  rode  on  to  the  wood.  They 
were  met  at  the  edge  of  the  trees  by  Sim  Hewlett  and  Royce. 

"I  was  expecting  you  to-night,  boys,"  Sim  said.  "We 
looked  out  for  you  last  night,  but  didn't  reckon  as  you  could 
possibly  do  it." 

"  Have  you  any  news  of  my  daughters?  "  Don  Ramon  asked 
eagerly. 

"  Nary  a  word,"  Sim  replied.  "  Bill  and  me  have  never  had 
our  eyes  off  the  house  from  sunup  to  sundown.  Lots  of  fellows 
have  come  and  gone  on  horseback.  Of  course  we  cannot 
answer  for  what  has  been  done  after  nightfall,  but  we  reckon 
there  is  about  thirty  men  there  now,  not  counting  those  they 


"THE  FEWER  THERE  ARE  THE  BETTER."       337 

may  have  in  the  village  and  the  sentries  down  by  the  mouth 
of  the  valley.  I  calkilate  the  best  part  of  the  gang  is  there  now. 
The  chiefs  would  like  to  keep  them  under  their  eye.  They  will 
think  the  only  thing  they  have  got  to  be  afraid  of  is  treachery. 
I  suppose  matters  stand  as  they  did  when  you  left,  doc.  ?  " 

"  Just  the  same.  We  four  and  Don  Carlos  are  to  go  on  and 
get  at  the  ladies.  When  we  are  in  there  safe  three  pistol  shots 
are  to  be  the  signal.  Then  Don  Ramon  and  the  soldiers  are  to 
come  down  and  surround  them." 

Don  Ramon  had  been  very  anxious  to  accompany  the  party, 
but  the  doctor  had  positively  refused  to  take  him  with  them. 
"  It  would  add  greatly  to  our  risks,"  he  said,  " and  do  no  good. 
If  we  can  get  to  your  daughters,  Don  Ramon,  we  five  can  keep 
the  fellows  at  bay  until  you  come  up,  easily  enough.  I  believe 
we  could  thrash  the  lot,  but  it  is  no  good  taking  chances;  but 
anyhow,  we  can  keep  them  off.  I  would  rather  have  gone 
without  your  son,  but  as  Lightning  has  passed  his  word,  there 
is  nothing  more  to  be  said.  On  a  job  like  this  the  fewer  there 
are  the  better.  Each  man  after  the  first  pretty  nearly  doubles 
the  risk." 

By  this  time  the  troopers  had  dismounted  and  fastened  their 
horses  to  the  trees.  Meat  that  had  been  cooked  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  biscuits  were  produced  from  their  haversacks.  When 
the  meal  had  been  eaten  the  soldiers  lit  their  pipes,  while  their 
officer  proceeded  with  Hugh  and  the  others  to  the  lower  end 
of  the  wood  and  walked  on  to  the  head  of  the  ravine. 

"There  are  the  lights! "  Hugh  said.  "Ah!  I  see  they  have 
lighted  a  fire  on  the  terrace,  Bill." 

"I  expect  they  are  pretty  crowded  in  the  house,"  Bill  said; 
"but  they  go  in  to  sleep.  Sim  and  I  have  been  down  near  the 
house  twice,  and  though  we  were  not  quite  close  we  were  able 
to  make  pretty  sure  that  except  one  sentry  there  and  another 
at  the  gate,  the  rest  all  go  in." 

"How  far  are  we  to  go  down? "  the  officer  asked. 


338  "WE  RECKON  ON  OUR  SIX-SHOOTERS." 

"Well,  I  would  rather  you  did  not  go  down  at  all,"  Sira 
Hewlett  said.  "  You  can  get  down  there  from  here  in  ten 
minutes  after  you  start  if  you  look  spry,  and  I  am  desperately 
afraid  some  of  your  men  might  make  a  noise,  which  they  would 
hear  certain  if  everything  was  quiet.  There  is  no  fear  of  their 
being  heard  when  the  firing  once  begins  down  there;  but  if  one 
of  them  fell  over  a  rock  and  his  gun  went  off  before  we  had 
done  our  part  of  the  affair,  there  would  be  an  end  of  the  whole 
business." 

"That  is  what  I  think,  Sim,"  the  doctor  agreed.  "We  have 
said  all  along  we  might  get  the  ladies  out  by  ourselves,  but 
again  we  mayn't  be  able  to  get  them  off  at  all.  But  we  can 
defend  them  easy  enough  if  we  can  get  into  their  room.  Five 
minutes  won't  make  any  difference  about  that,  and  it  is  every- 
thing to  avoid  the  risk  of  noise  until  we  get  at  them.  If  they 
discover  us  before  we  get  there  we  just  fall  back  fighting.  They 
will  think  that  we  are  only  a  small  party,  and  the  ladies  will 
be  none  the  worse." 

"If  you  think  that  is  the  best  way  we  must  agree  to  it," 
Don  Ramon  said;  "but  we  shall  have  a  terrible  time  until  we 
get  to  you." 

"Don't  you  be  afeard,"  Sim  Hewlett  said.  "The  doctor, 
me,  Lightning,  and  Bill  could  pretty  well  wipe  them  out  by 
ourselves,  and  we  reckon  on  our  six-shooters  a  sight  more  than 
we  do  on  the  soldiers." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  FIGHT  AND  A  RESCUE. 

SOON  after  sunset  the  five  men  started.  The  doctor  was  of 
opinion  that  it  was  better  not  to  wait  until  the  brigands 
kad  retired  to  rest. 

"Of  course  we  cannot  begin  operations,"  he  said,  "until  all 
is  quiet;  but  as  long  as  the  men  are  sitting  round  the  fires 
smoking  and  singing  they  will  keep  a  very  careless  guard,  and 
any  noise  we  make  will  pass  unobserved.  When  they  once  get 
quiet  the  sentries  will  begin  to  listen,  but  until  then  we  might 
almost  walk  up  to  their  fires  without  being  observed." 

It  was  necessary  to  move  slowly  and  cautiously,  lest  they 
should  fall  over  a  rock  or  stump;  but  the  doctor  led  the  way 
and  the  others  followed  close  behind  him.  Twenty  minutes' 
stealthy  walking  took  them  to  the  spot  whence  the  doctor  had 
before  reconnoitred  the  house.  A  fire  blazed  on  the  terrace, 
and  some  fifteen  men  were  sitting  or  lying  round  it.  The  light 
fell  upon  bottles  and  glasses.  One  of  the  party  was  playing 
upon  a  mandoline  and  singing,  but  few  of  the  others  were 
attending  to  him,  a  noisy  conversation  plentifully  sprinkled 
with  Spanish  oaths  being  kept  up. 

"The  room  where  your  sisters  are  confined,"  the  doctor  said 
to  Don  Carlos,  "  is  round  the  other  side  of  the  house.  I  did 
not  mean  to  begin  until  all  were  asleep,  but  they  are  making 
such  a  noise  down  there  that  I  do  think  it  will  be  best  to  move 
at  once,  and  if  possible  to  let  your  sisters  know  that  we  are 


340  ON  THE  TERRACE. 

here.  So  we  will  work  quietly  round  to  that  side;  they  had  no 
sentry  there  last  time,  but  they  may  have  to-night." 

After  twenty  minutes  of  cautious  movement,  they  reached 
the  foot  of  the  rock  on  which  the  house  stood.  The  doctor  had 
brought  out  from  El  Paso  a  small  grapnel  and  rope.  The  former 
had  been  carefully  wrapped  round  with  strips  of  cloth  so  as  to 
deaden  any  sound.  It  was  now  thrown  up,  and  at  the  second 
attempt  became  firmly  fixed  above. 

"  Do  you  mount  first,  Lightning, "  he  said  to  Hugh.  "  When 
you  get  up  lie  quiet  for  a  minute  or  two.  When  you  have  quite 
assured 'yourself  that  all  is  clear  give  the  rope  a  shake.  We 
others  will  come  up  one  by  one.  Let  each  man  when  he  gets 
to  the  top  lie  down." 

Don  Carlos  followed  Hugh,  and  the  others  soon  joined 
them. 

"You  see  that  light  there,"  the  doctor  said  to  Don  Carlos. 
"That  is  your  sisters'  room.  As  I  told  you,  the  windows  on  the 
ground  floor  are  all  blocked  up,  but  three  or  four  bricks  have 
been  left  out  just  at  the  top  of  each,  for  the  sake  of  light  and 
air.  Now,  Sim  and  you  had  better  go  together;  he  will  stand 
against  the  wall,  and  if  you  climb  on  to  his  shoulders  I  think 
you  can  just  about  reach  that  hole,  pull  yourself  up,  and  look 
in.  I  need  not  tell  you  to  be  as  silent  as  possible,  for  there 
may  be  someone  in  with  them.  If  they  are  alone  tell  them 
what  we  are  going  to  do.  See  whether  there  are  any  bars 
inside  the  brickwork.  I  am  afraid  there  are  sure  to  be,  the 
Spanish  houses  most  always  have  bars  to  the  lower  windows. 
Royce,  you  and  I  will  go  to  the  right-hand  corner  of  the  house; 
you  go  to  the  left,  Lightning.  If  you  hear  anyone  coming  give 
a  low  hiss  as  a  warning,  then  we  must  all  lie  down  close  to  the 
wall.  It  is  so  dark  now  that  unless  a  man  kicks  against  us  he 
won't  see  us.  If  he  does  touch  one  of  you,  he  is  likely  to  think 
that  it  is  one  of  his  own  party  lying  down  there  for  a  sleep;  but 
if  he  stoops  over  to  see  who  it  is,  you  have  got  either  to  stab 


"SILENCE,  FOR  YOUR  LIVES."  341 

him  or  to  grip  him  by  the  throat,  so  that  he  can't  shout.    Now, 
I  think  we  all  understand." 

The  five  men  crawled  cautiously  to  their  respective  stations. 

"  Now,  young  fellow,"  Sim  said  to  Don  Carlos,  "  if,  when  you 
are  mounted  on  my  shoulders,  you  find  you  cannot  reach  the 
hole,  put  your  foot  on  my  head.  You  won't  hurt  me  with 
them  moccasins  on.  Directly  you  have  got  your  fingers  on  the 
edge  give  a  little  pat  with  your  foot  to  let  me  know,  and  I 
will  put  my  hands  under  your  feet  and  help  hoist  you  up. 
You  can  put  a  biggish  slice  of  your  weight  on  me;  when  I  am 
tired  I  will  let  you  know.  I  will  lean  right  forward  against 
the  wall — that  will  help  you  to  climb  up.  Now  ! " 

When  he  stood  up  on  Sim's  shoulders  the  young  Mexican 
found  that  he  could  reach  the  opening.  Getting  his  fingers 
firmly  upon  it,  he  gave  the  signal,  and  with  Sim's  aid  had  no 
difficulty  in  raising  himself  so  that  he  could  look  into  the  room. 
Two  candles  burned  upon  the  table,  and  by  their  light  he  could 
see  the  girls  stretched  on  couches. 

"  Hush,  girls,  hush !  "  he  said  in  a  low  voice.  "  It  is  I,  Carlos ! 
Silence,  for  your  lives ! " 

The  two  girls  sprang  to  their  feet.  "  Did  you  hear  it,  Nina  ?  " 
the  elder  exclaimed  in  a  low  voice. 

"Yes;  it  was  the  voice  of  Carlos.  We  could  not  both  have 
been  dreaming,  surely !  " 

"  I  am  up  here  at  the  opening,"  Carlos  said.    "  We  are  here, 
girls,  a  party  to  rescue  you;  but  we  must  get  in  beside  you 
before  we  are  discovered,  or  else  harm  might  come  to  you. 
Wait  a  moment,"  he  broke  in,  as  the  girls  in  their  delight  were 
about  to  throw  themselves  upon  their  knees  to  return  thanks 
to  the  Virgin,  "  I  am  being  held  up  here,  and  must  get  dowi 
in  an  instant.    I  can  see  that  there  is  a  grating  to  the  w~  T 
Is  it  a  strong  one?  " 

"Yes,  a  very  strong  one." 

"Very  well;  we  will  saw  through  it  presently. 


342 

on  talking  loudly  to  each  other  to  drown  any  noise  that  we 
may  make.  That  will  do,  Sim;  you  can  let  me  down  now." 

"Now,  young  fellow,"  Sim  said  as  soon  as  Don  Carlos 
reached  the  ground,  "  you  go  along  and  tell  Bill  Royce  to  come 
here  and  help.  The  doctor  will  go  on  keeping  watch.  The* 
go  to  the  other  end  and  send  Lightning  here,  and  you  take  his 
place.  He  is  better  for  work  than  you  are." 

Sim  was  soon  joined  by  Royce  and  Hugh.  He  had  already 
set  to  work. 

"These  bricks  are  only  adobe,"  he  said.  "My  knife  will 
soon  cut  through  them." 

In  a  very  few  minutes  he  had  made  a  hole  through  the  un- 
baked bricks.  "  Senoritas, "  he  said  in  Mexican,  "  place  a  chair 
against  this  hole  and  throw  something  over  it,  so  that  if  any 
one  comes  it  won't  be  observed." 

The  men  worked  in  turns  with  their  keen  bowies,  and  in 
half  an  hour  the  hole  was  large  enough  for  a  head  and  shoulders 
to  pass  through. 

"  Now  for  the  files,  Lightning.  You  may  as  well  take  the 
first  spell,  as  you  have  got  them  and  the  oil. " 

It  took  two  hours'  work  to  file  through  the  bars.  Just  as 
the  work  was  finished  Sim  said,  "  You  had  better  fetch  the  lad, 
Lightning.  Send  him  through  first." 

"Don't  you  think,  doctor,"  Hugh  said  when  they  were 
gathered  round  the  hole,  "  that  we  might  get  the  girls  off 
without  a  fight  at  all?  " 

"I  doubt  it,"  the  doctor  said.  "The  men  have  just  gone 
in  except  two  who  are  left  as  sentries,  and  the  night  is  very 
still.  They  would  be  almost  sure  to  hear  some  of  us,  and  if 
they  did  the  girls  might  get  shot  in  the  fight.  Still,  it  might 
be  worth  trying.  As  soon  as  you  get  in,  Don  Carlos,  begin  to 
move  the  furniture  quietly  against  the  door." 

All  this  time  the  girls  had  been  singing  hymns,  but  their 
prudence  left  them  as  their  brother  entered  the  room.  They 


343 

stopt  singing  abruptly  and  threw  themselves  into  his  arms  with 
a  little  cry  of  joy.  Almost  instantly  there  was  a  loud  knock 
at  the  door. 

"What  are  you  doing  there?  I  am  coming  in,"  and  the 
door  was  heard  to  unlock.  Carlos  threw  himself  against  it. 

"Fire  the  signal,  doctor!"  Sim  exclaimed,  as  he  thrust 
Hugh,  who  was  in  the  act  of  getting  through  the  hole,  into 
the  room,  as  he  did  so  three  shots  were  fired  outside.  The 
instant  Hugh  was  through  he  leaped  to  his  feet  and  ran  for- 
ward. The  pressure  against  the  door  had  ceased,  the  man 
having,  in  his  surprise  at  the  sound  of  the  shots,  sprung  back. 
Hugh  seized  the  handle  of  the  door  so  that  it  could  not  be 
turned. 

"Pile  up  the  furniture,"  he  said  to  Don  Carlos.  "Get  into 
the  corner  of  the  room,  senoritas;  they  will  be  firing  through 
the  door  in  a  moment." 

By  this  time  a  tremendous  din  was  heard  in  the  house.  As 
yet  none  of  the  brigands  knew  what  had  happened,  and  their 
general  impulse  was  to  rush  out  on  the  terrace  to  hear  the 
cause  of  the  shots.  The  doctor  had  followed  Hugh  closely 
into  the  room,  the  hole  being  large  enough  to  admit  of  his 
getting  through  without  any  difficulty.  Royce  followed  im- 
mediately, and,  as  he  got  through,  Sim  Hewlett's  pistol  cracked 
out  twice,  as  the  sentries  ran  round  the  corner  of  the  house, 
their  figures  being  visible  to  him  by  the  light  from  the  fire. 
Then  he  thrust  himself  through  the  opening.  The  instant  he 
was  through  he  seized  one  of  the  cushions  of  the  couches  and 
placed  it  across  the  hole  by  which  he  had  entered.  Several 
attempts  had  been  made  to  turn  the  handle  of  the  door,  but 
Hugh  held  it  firmly,  while  the  doctor  and  Carlos  moved  the 
couches  and  chairs  against  it. 

"Here,  doctor,  you  watch  this  hole;  I  will  do  that  work," 
Sim  said. 

They  worked  as  silently  as  possible,  and  could  hear  througk 


344  rr  MUST  BE  SOME  PLOT. 

the  opening  at  the  top  of  the  window  the  sound  of  shouts  and 
oaths  as  a  number  of  men  ran  past  on  the  terrace.  Then  one 
voice  shouted  angrily  for  silence. 

"  There  is  no  one  here, "  he  said.  "  Martinez,  go  in  and  fetch 
torches.  What  has  happened?  What  have  you  seen,  Lopez?  " 

"I  have  seen  nothing,"  the  voice  replied.  "I  was  lying 
close  to  the  door  when  Domingo,  who  was  on  guard  at  the 
senoritas'  door,  said  something,  then  almost  directly  three  shots 
were  fired  outside.  I  jumped  up  and  unfastened  the  door  and 
ran  out.  Martos  and  Juan,  who  were  on  guard  outside,  were 
just  running  across.  I  heard  two  more  shots  fired,  and  down 
they  both  fell.  I  waited  a  moment  until  all  the  others  came 
out,  and  then  we  ran  round  the  corner  together.  As  far  as  I 
see  there  is  nobody  here." 

"  Mille  demonios !  "  the  first  speaker  exclaimed;  "  it  must  be 
some  plot  to  get  the  girls  away.  Perez,  run  in  and  ask  Do- 
mingo if  he  heard  any  sounds  within.  Open  the  door  and  see 
that  the  captives  are  safe." 

There  was  a  pause  for  a  minute,  and  then  Perez  ran  out. 

"Domingo  cannot  open  the  door,"  he  said.  "They  are 
moving  the  furniture  against  it,  and  the  handle  won't  turn;  he 
says  there  must  be  something  wrong  there." 

"  Fool !  What  occasion  is  there  to  say  that,  as  if  anyone 
could  not  see  there  was  something  wrong.  Ah !  here  come  the 
torches.  Search  all  round  the  terrace,  and  ask  whoever  is  on 
guard  at  the  gate  whether  he  has  heard  anything.  We  will 
see  about  breaking  down  the  door  afterwards." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  then  the  men  came  back  again. 

"  There  is  no  one  on  the  terrace.  Nobody  has  been  through 
the  gate." 

Then  there  was  a  sudden,  sharp  exclamation.  "  See  here, 
Vargas,  there  is  a  hole  here.  The  bricks  have  been  cut 
through."  A  fresh  volley  of  oaths  burst  out,  and  then  the 
•man  in  authority  gave  his  orders. 


THE  ATTACK  ON  THE  DOOR.  345 

"  Perez,  do  you  and  Martinez  take  your  post  here.  Whether 
there  is  one  or  half  a  dozen  inside  they  can  only  crawl  out  one 
at  a  time.  You  have  only  got  to  fire  at  the  first  head  you 
see.  The  rest  come  inside  and  break  open  the  door.  We  will 
soon  settle  with  them." 

"That  is  much  better  than  I  expected,"  the  doctor  said. 
"  We  have  gained  nearly  five  minutes.  Now  let  them  come  as 
soon  as  they  like.  Bill,  will  you  stop  at  this  end  and  guard  this 
cushion.  When  the  fight  begins  they  may  try  to  push  it  aside 
and  fire  through  at  us.  Let  the  upper  end  lean  back  a  little 
against  this  chair.  Yes,  like  that.  Now,  you  see,  you  can 
look  down,  and  if  you  see  a  hand  trying  to  push  the  cushion 
aside,  put  a  bullet  through  it;  don't  attend  to  us  unless  we  are 
badly  pressed  and  call  for  you." 

There  was  now  a  furious  onslaught  made  on  the  door  from 
the  outside,  heavy  blows  being  struck  upon  it  with  axes  and 
crowbars. 

"Now,  Sim,  you  may  as  well  speak  to  them  a  little,"  the 
doctor  said.  "  When  you  have  emptied  your  Colt,  I  will  have 
a  turn  while  you  are  loading." 

The  noise  of  the  blows  was  a  sufficient  indication  to  Sim 
where  the  men  wielding  the  weapons  were  standing.  He  had 
already  recharged  the  two  chambers  he  had  emptied,  and  now, 
steadily  and  deliberately,  he  fired  six  shots  through  the  panels 
of  the  door,  and  the  yells  and  oaths  told  him  that  some  of 
them  had  taken  effect.  There  was  a  pause  for  a  moment,  and 
then  the  assault  recommenced.  The  wood  gave  way  beneath 
the  axes  and  the  door  began  to  splinter,  while  a  number  of 
shots  were  fired  from  the  outside.  The  doctor,  however,  was 
stooping  low,  and  the  others  stood  outside  the  line  of  fire,  while 
Bill  at  his  end  was  kneeling  by  the  cushion.  The  doctor's 
revolver  answered  the  shots,  and  when  he  had  emptied  his 
pistol  Hugh  took  his  place.  By  the  furious  shouts  and  cries 
without  there  was  no  doubt  the  fire  was  doing  execution. 


346  CAUGHT   IN  A  TRAP. 

But  the  door  was  nearly  yielding,  and,  just  as  Hugh  begaa 
to  fire,  one  of  the  panels  was  burst  in.  The  lock,  too,  had  now 
given,  the  piece  of  wood  he  had  jammed  into  it  having  fallen 
out.  The  Mexicans,  however,  were  unable  to  force  their  way 
in  owing  to  the  steady  fire  of  the  besieged,  who  had  extinguished 
their  candles,  and  had  the  advantage  of  catching  sight  of  their 
opponents  through  the  open  door,  by  the  light  of  the  torches 
without.  The  besieged  shifted  their  places  after  each  shot,  so 
that  the  Mexicans  fired  almost  at  random. 

For  ten  minutes  the  fight  had  raged,  when  there  was  a 
sudden  shout,  followed  by  a  discharge  of  firearms  without. 
A  cheer  broke  from  the  defenders  of  the  room,  and  a  cry  of 
despair  and  fury  from  the  Mexicans.  The  attack  on  the  door 
ceased  instantly,  but  a  desperate  struggle  raged  in  the  court- 
yard. This  went  on  for  three  or  four  minutes,  when  the 
Mexicans  shouted  for  mercy  and  the  firing  ceased.  Then  Don 
Ramon's  voice  was  heard  to  call,  "Where  are  you?  Are  you 
all  safe?"  There  was  a  shout  in  reply.  Then  the  furniture 
was  pulled  away  and  the  splintered  door  removed,  and  as  Don 
Ramon  entered,  his  daughters,  who  had  remained  quietly  im 
the  corner  while  the  fight  went  on,  rushed  into  his  arms. 

The  success  of  the  surprise  had  been  complete.  The  man 
on  guard  at  the  gate  had  left  his  post  to  take  part  in  the 
struggle  going  on  in  the  house,  and  the  officer  in  command 
of  the  troops  had  gained  the  terrace  unobserved.  He  at  once 
surrounded  the  house,  and  the  two  men  outside  the  opening 
had  been  shot  down  at  the  same  moment  that  he,  with  a  dozen 
of  his  men,  rushed  into  the  courtyard  and  attacked  the  Mexi- 
cans. None  of  these  had  escaped.  Eighteen  had  fallen  in  the 
house,  four  had  been  killed  outside,  and  twelve  had  thrown 
down  their  arms,  and  were  now  lying  bound  hand  and  foot  ia 
charge  of  the  troops. 

No  sooner  had  Don  Ramon  assured  himself  that  his  daughters 
were  safe  and  uninjured,  than  he  turned  to  their  rescuers  and 


Besieged  by  brigands. 


"  LET  US  HAVE  A   BLAZE,    LIEUTENANT."  347 

poured  out  his  hearty  thanks.  They  were  not  quite  uninjured. 
Bill  had  escaped  without  a  wound;  Don  Carlos  was  bleeding 
irom  a  pistol  ball  which  had  grazed  his  cheek;  Sim  Hewlett's 
right  hand  was  disabled  by  a  ball  which  had  taken  off  his 
middle  finger,  and  ploughed  its  way  through  the  flesh  of  the 
forearm;  Hugh  had  a  bullet  in  the  shoulder;  the  doctor's 
wound  was  the  only  serious  one,  he  having  been  hit  just  above 
the  hip.  One  of  the  soldiers  had  been  killed,  and  five  wounded 
while  fighting  in  the  court-yard.  Leaving  Don  Ramon  and  his 
son  to  question  the  girls  as  to  what  had  befallen  them,  and  to 
tell  them  how  their  rescue  had  been  brought  about,  the  others 
went  outside. 

"Let's  have  a  blaze,  lieutenant,"  Sim  said.  "Most  of  us 
want  dressing  a  bit,  and  the  doctor  is  hit  very  hard.  Let 
us  make  a  good  big  fire  out  here  on  the  terrace,  then  we  shall 
see  what  we  are  doing.  We  were  in  a  smother  of  gunpowder 
smoke  inside." 

The  officer  gave  an  order,  and  the  soldiers  fetched  out 
billets  of  wood  from  the  store  and  piled  them  on  the  fire  on 
the  terrace,  and  soon  a  broad  sheet  of  flame  leaped  up. 

"  Now,  then,  let  us  look  at  the  wounds, "  Sim  went  on.  "  Let 
us  lift  you  up  and  make  you  a  little  comfortable,  doctor.  I  am 
afraid  that  there  is  no  doing  anything  with  you  till  we  get 
jrou  down  to  the  town.  All  you  have  got  to  do  is  to  lie 
quiet." 

"And  drink,  Sim." 

"  Ay,  and  drink.  I  am  as  thirsty  myself  as  if  I  had  been 
lost  on  an  alkali  plain.  Bill,  will  you  get  us  some  drink, 
plenty  of  water,  with  just  a  drop  of  spirit  in  itj  there  is  sure 
to  be  plenty  in  the  house  somewhere." 

Royce  soon  returned  with  a  large  jar  of  cold  water  and  a 
bottle  of  spirits. 

"  Only  a  few  drops  of  spirits,  Sim,  if  you  don't  want  to  get 
inflammation  in  that  hand  of  yours." 


348 

"What  had  I  better  do  for  it,  doctor?  " 

"  Well,  it  will  be  better  to  have  that  stump  of  the  middle 
finger  taken  out  altogether.  I  could  do  it  for  you  if  I  could 
stand  and  had  a  knife  of  the  right  shape  here.  As  it  is,  you 
can't  do  better  than  wrap  your  hand  up  in  plenty  of  cloths, 
and  keep  them  wet,  and  then  put  your  arm  in  a  sling.  What's 
yours,  Lightning?  " 

"I  am  hit  in  the  shoulder,  doctor.  I  don't  think  that  it  is 
bleeding  now." 

"Well,  you  had  better  get  Bill  to  bathe  it  in  hot  water, 
then  lay  a  plug  of  cotton  over  the  hole,  and  bandage  it  up;  the 
doctor  at  the  fort  will  get  the  ball  out  for  you  as  soon  as  you 
get  down  there.  He  is  a  good  man,  they  say,  and,  anyhow,  he 
gets  plenty  of  practice  with  pistol  wounds  at  El  Paso." 

Royce  did  his  best  for  his  two  friends.  Then  they  all  sat 
quietly  talking  until  the  young  officer  came  out  from  the  house. 

"We  have  been  searching  it  from  top  to  bottom,"  he  said. 
"There  is  a  lot  of  booty  stored  away.  I  want  you  to  have  a 
look  at  the  two  leaders  of  these  scoundrels;  they  have  both 
been  shot.  Don  Ramon  said  that  he  believed  they  were  the 
murderers  of  his  son,  and  that  two  of  you  might  recognize 
them  if  they  were,  as  you  did  a  horse  trade  with  them." 

Hugh  and  Royce  followed  him  to  the  other  side  of  the  house, 
where  the  bodies  of  the  brigands  who  had  fallen  had  been 
brought  out  and  laid  down.  Two  soldiers  brought  torches. 

"I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  these  are  the  men,"  Hugh 
said  after  examining  the  bodies  of  the  two  leaders,  who  were 
placed  at  a  short  distance  from  the  rest. 

"Them's  the  fellows,"  Royce  said  positively,  "I  could  swear 
to  them  anywhere." 

"  They  are  notorious  scoundrels,"  the  officer  said,  "and  have 
for  years  been  the  scourge  of  New  Mexico.  They  were  away, 
for  a  time,  two  years  ago.  We  had  made  the  place  so  hot  for 
them  that  they  had  to  quit.  We  learned  that  from  some  of 


THE  SPOIL.  349 

their  gang  whom  we  caught.  They  were  away  nearly  a  year; 
at  least  they  were  quiet.  I  suppose  they  carried  on  their 
games  down  in  Texas,  till  they  had  to  leave  there  toe;  and  then 
thinking  the  affair  had  blown  over  they  returned  here.  There 
has  been  a  reward  of  ten  thousand  dollars  for  their  capture 
anytime  for  the  last  five  years.  Properly  that  ought  to  be 
divided  between  you,  as  it  is  entirely  your  doing  that  they 
have  been  caught;  but  as  the  reward  says  death  or  capture, 
I  suppose  my  men  will  have  to  share  it  with  you." 

"That  is  right  enough,"  Sim  Howlett  said.  "It  will  give 
us  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  apiece,  and  that  don't  make 
a  bad  week's  work  anyhow.  When  are  you  thinking  of  starting 
back,  lieutenant,  and  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  this  house 
here?" 

"  I  shall  set  fire  to  the  house  after  we  have  got  everything 
out  of  it.  I  guess  it  has  been  a  den  of  brigands  for  the  last 
ten  years.  I  have  sent  four  men  down  to  keep  guard  at  the 
mouth  of  the  valley,  and  I  expect  we  shall  get  all  their  horses 
in  the  morning.  They  must  be  somewhere  about  here.  The 
prisoners  will  ride  their  own,  and  that  will  leave  us  twenty  or 
more  for  carrying  down  the  best  part  of  the  plunder.  There 
is  a  lot  of  wine  and  other  things  that  they  have  carried  off  from 
the  haciendas  that  they  plundered.  I  will  send  those  down  in 
tarts  with  an  escort  of  four  of  my  men." 

"  Then  I  think  we  had  better  get  a  bed  in  one  of  the  carts, 
and  send  my  mate  here  down  upon  it.  He  has  got  a  bullet 
somewhere  in  the  hip,  and  won't  be  able  to  sit  a  horse." 

"We  will  send  him  off  the  first  thing  in  the  morning,"  the 
officer  said.  "  There  is  one  of  my  own  wounded  to  send  down 
that  way  too." 

"I  will  go  with  them  as  nurse,"  Sim  said.  "Get  the  cart 
to  go  straight  through  without  a  halt,  lieutenant.  The  sooner 
my  mate  is  in  the  hands  of  your  doctor  the  better." 

"I  will  see  about  it  now,"  the  lieutenant  said;  "no  time 


350  THANKS. 

shall  be  lost.  I  will  send  a  sergeant  and  four  men  down  to  the 
village  at  once  to  requisition  a  cart  and  bring  it  here.  It  will 
be  much  better  for  them  travelling  at  night.  I  will  tell  the 
men  I  send  as  escort  to  get  hold  of  another  cart  in  the  morn- 
ing and  send  them  straight  on." 

"Thank  you,  lieutenant.  That  will  be  the  best  plan  by 
far." 

Don  Ramon  now  came  out  from  the  house,  and  joined  the 
group. 

"  In  the  name  of  my  children,  their  mother,  and  myself,  I 
thank  you  most  deeply,  senors,  for  the  noble  way  in  which  you 
have  risked  your  lives  for  their  rescue.  Had  it  not  been  for 
you,  God  knows  whether  I  should  have  seen  my  daughters 
again,  for  I  know  that  no  oaths  would  have  bound  those  vil- 
lains, and  that  when  they  had  obtained  the  ransom  they  would 
never  have  let  my  daughters  free  to  give  information  that  would 
have  led  to  their  capture.  I  shall  always  be  your  debtor,  and 
the  only  drawback  to  my  pleasure  is  that  three  of  you  have 
been  wounded." 

"The  doctor  here  is  the  only  one  wounded  seriously,"  Sim 
Hewlett  said.  "  My  hand  and  arm  will  soon  heal  up,  and  the 
loss  of  a  finger  is  no  great  odds  anyway.  I  don't  suppose 
Lightning's  shoulder  will  turn  out  worse  than  my  arm.  As 
for  the  doctor,  he  is  hit  hard,  but  he  has  been  hit  hard  so  many 
times,  and  has  pulled  through  it,  that  I  hope  for  the  best." 

"  Senor  Hugh,"  Don  Ramon  said,  "  it  was  indeed  a  fortunate 
day  for  me  when  I  questioned  you  concerning  my  son's  horse, 
for  it  was  to  your  advice  and  to  your  enlisting  your  friends  on 
my  behalf  that  I  owe  it  chiefly  that  my  daughters  are  with  me 
this  evening.  I  must  leave  it  to  their  mother  to  thank  you  as 
you  deserve." 

Two  hours  later  the  doctor  and  one  of  the  wounded  soldiers 
were  placed  on  a  bed  laid  at  the  bottom  of  a  cart,  and  started 
under  the  escort  of  two  soldiers,  Sim  Hewlett  accompanying 


IN   HOSPITAL.  351 

them.  As  the  girls  had  expressed  the  greatest  disinclination  to 
remain  in  the  house  where  they  had  been  prisoners  and  where 
so  much  blood  had  just  been  shed,  they  with  the  rest  of  the 
party  returned  with  a  sergeant  and  six  soldiers  carrying  torches 
up  the  valley  to  the  wood,  where  the  horses  had  been  left. 
Here  two  fires  were  soon  blazing,  and  the  girls  were  not  long 
before  they  were  asleep,  wrapped  in  blankets  that  had  been 
brought  up  from  the  house. 

The  following  morning  Hugh  and  Royce  handed  over  their 
horses  for  the  use  of  the  girls,  who  were  both  accomplished 
horsewomen,  and,  mounting  the  horses  of  Sim  and  the  doctor, 
they  started  with  Don  Ramon,  his  son,  and  daughters.  Fifteen 
miles  before  they  got  to  El  Paso  they  passed  the  cart  with  the 
wounded  men,  and  Hugh  said  he  would  ride  into  the  fort  to 
ensure  the  doctor  being  there  when  they  arrived.  Royce  and 
he  accompanied  Don  Ramon  and  his  party  to  the  gate  of  the 
hacienda,  which  they  reached  just  at  sunset.  The  Mexican  was 
warm  in  his  entreaties  to  Hugh  to  become  his  guest  until  his 
wound  was  healed,  but  he  declined  this  on  the  ground  that  he 
should  be  well  cared  for  at  the  fort,  and  should  have  the  sur- 
geon always  at  hand. 

"I  shall  be  over  the  first  thing  in  the  morning  to  see  you," 
Don  Carlos  said.  "  I  shall  want  my  own  face  strapped  up, 
and  I  warn  you  if  the  doctor  says  you  can  be  moved  I  shall 
bring  you  back  with  me." 

Royce  accompanied  Hugh  to  the  fort.  The  commandant 
was  highly  gratified  when  he  heard  of  the  complete  success  of 
the  expedition,  and  still  more  so  when  he  learned  that  the  two 
notorious  brigands  for  whom  he  and  his  troopers  had  so  often 
searched  in  vain  were  among  the  killed.  Hugh  was  at  once 
accommodated  in  the  hospital,  and  the  surgeon  proceeded  to 
examine  his  wound.  It  was  so  inflamed  and  swollen  with  the 
long  ride,  he  said,  that  no  attempt  could  be  made  at  present 
to  extract  the  ball,  and  rest  and  quiet  were  absolutely  neces- 


352  CONVALESCENT. 

sary.  Two  hours  later  the  cart  arrived.  The  doctor  was  laid 
in  a  bed  near  that  of  Hugh,  the  third  bed  in  the  ward  being 
allotted  to  Sim  Howlett.  The  doctor's  wound  was  pronounced 
by  the  surgeon  to  be  a  very  serious  one. 

It  was  some  days  before,  under  the  influence  of  poultices  and 
embrocations,  the  inflammation  subsided  sufficiently  for  a 
search  to  be  made  for  the  bullet  in  Hugh's  shoulder.  The  sur- 
geon, however, was  then  successful  in  rinding  it  imbedded  in  the 
flesh  behind  the  shoulder-bone,  and,  having  found  its  position, 
he  cut  it  out  from  behind.  After  this  Hugh' s  progress  was  rapid, 
and  in  a  week  he  was  out  of  bed  with  his  arm  in  a  sling.  The 
doctor,  contrary  to  the  surgeon's  expectations,  also  made  fair 
progress.  The  bullet  could  not  be  found,  and  the  surgeon,  after 
one  or  two  ineffectual  attempts,  decided  that  it  would  be  better 
to  allow  it  to  remain  where  it  was.  The  stump  of  Sim's  finger 
was  removed  the  morning  after  he  came  in,  and  the  wound 
had  almost  completely  healed  by  the  time  that  Hugh  was 
enabled  to  leave  the  hospital,  a  month  after  entering  it. 

Don  Ramon  and  his  son  had  ridden  over  every  day  to  inquire 
after  the  invalids,  and  had  seen  that  they  were  provided  with 
every  possible  luxury,  and  he  carried  off  Hugh  to  the  hacienda 
as  soon  as  the  surgeon  gave  his  consent  to  his  making  a  short 
journey  in  the  carriage.  Donna  Maria  received  him  as  warmly 
as  if  he  had  been  a  son  of  her  own,  and  he  had  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  persuading  her  that  he  did  not  require  to  be  treated 
as  an  invalid,  and  was  perfectly  capable  of  doing  everything 
for  himself. 

For  a  fortnight  he  lived  a  life  of  luxurious  idleness,  doing 
absolutely  nothing  beyond  going  over  in  the  carriage  every  day 
to  see  how  the  doctor  was  going  on.  Hugh  saw  that  he  was 
not  maintaining  the  progress  that  he  had  at  first  made.  He 
had  but  little  fever  or  pain,  but  he  lay  quiet  and  silent,  and 
seemed  incapable  of  making  any  effort  whatever.  Sim  How- 
Jett  was  very  anxious  about  his  comrade. 


"THAT  MAY  STIR  HIM  UP  A  BIT."  353 

"He  don't  seem  to  me  to  try  to  get  well,"  he  said  to  Hugh. 
"It  looks  to  me  like  as  if  he  thought  he  had  done  about 
enough,  and  was  ready  to  go.  If  one  could  rouse  him  up  a  bit 
I  believe  he  would  pull  round.  He  has  gone  through  a  lot  has 
the  doctor,  and  I  expect  he  thinks  there  ain't  much  worth 
living  for.  He  just  smiles  when  I  speak  to  him,  but  he  don't 
take  no  interest  in  things.  Do  you  get  talking  with  me  when 
you  go  in,  Lightning,  and  asking  about  what  we  have  been 
doing,  and  I  will  tell  you  some  of  the  things  he  and  I  have 
gone  through  together.  Maybe  that  may  stir  him  up  a  bit." 

"  How  long  have  you  known  him,  Sim  ?  " 

"  I  came  across  him  in  '49.  I  came  round  by  Panama,  being 
one  of  the  first  lot  to  leave  New  York  when  the  news  of  gold 
came.  I  had  been  away  logging  for  some  months,  and  had 
come  down  at  the  end  of  the  season  with  six  months'  money 
in  my  pocket.  I  had  been  saving  up  for  a  year  or  two,  and 
was  going  to  put  it  all  in  partnership  with  a  cousin  of  mine, 
who  undertook  the  building  of  piers  and  wharves  and  such  like 
on  the  Hudson.  Well,  the  first  news  that  met  me  when  I  came 
down  to  New  York  was  that  Jim  had  busted  up,  and  had  gone 
out  west  some  said,  others  that  he  had  drowned  hisself.  I 
was  sorry  for  Jim,  but  I  was  mighty  glad  that  I  hadn't  put 
my  pile  in. 

"  Waal,  I  was  wondering  what  to  start  on  next  when  the  talk 
about  gold  began,  and  as  soon  as  I  lamed  there  were  no  mis- 
take about  it  I  went  down  to  the  wharf  and  took  my  passage 
down  to  the  isthmus.  I  had  been  working  about  three  months 
on  the  Yuba  when  I  came  across  the  doctor.  I  had  seen  him 
often  afore  we  came  to  speak.  If  you  wur  to  see  the  doctor 
now  for  the  first  time  when  he  is  just  sitting  quiet  and  talking 
in  that  woman  sort  of  voice  of  his  and  with  those  big  blue  eyes, 
you  would  think  maybe  that  he  was  a  kind  of  softy,  wouldn't 
you?" 

"  I  dare  say  I  might,  Sim.    I  saw  him  for  the  first  time  when 


354  A  SOFTY. 

he  came  up  with  you  to  take  my  part  against  that  crowd  of 
Mexicans.  There  didn't  look  anything  soft  about  him  then, 
and  though  I  was  struck  with  his  gentle  way  of  talking  when 
I  met  him  afterwards  I  knew  so  well  there  was  lots  of  fight 
in  him  that  it  didn't  strike  me  he  was  anything  of  a  softy,  as 
you  say." 

"  No  ?  Waal,  the  doctor  has  changed  since  I  met  him,  but  at 
that  time  he  did  look  a  softy,  and  most  people  put  him  down 
as  being  short  of  wits.  He  used  just  to  go  about  the  camp  as 
if  he  paid  no  attention  to  what  wur  going  on.  Sometimes  he 
would  go  down  to  a  bit  of  a  claim  he  had  taken  up  and  wash 
out  the  gravel,  just  singing  to  himself,  not  as  though  it  wur  to 
amuse  him,  but  as  though  he  did  not  know  as  he  wur  singing, 
in  a  sort  of  curious  far-off  sort  of  voice ;  but  mostly  he  went 
about  doing  odd  sorts  of  jobs.  If  there  wur  a  man  down  with 
the  fever  the  doctor  would  just  walk  into  his  tent  and  take 
him  in  hand  and  look  after  him,  and  when  he  got  better  would 
just  drift  away,  and  like  enough  not  seem  to  know  the  man 
the  next  time  he  met  him. 

"Waal,  he  got  to  be  called  Softy,  but  men  allowed  as  he  wur 
a  good  fellow,  and  was  just  as  choke-full  of  kindness  as  his 
brain  would  hold,  and,  as  he  walked  about,  any  chap  who  was 
taking  his  grub  would  ask  him  to  share  it,  for  it  was  sartin 
that  what  gold  he  got  wouldn't  buy  enough  to  keep  a  cat  alive, 
much  less  a  man.  Waal,  it  was  this  way.  I  got  down  with 
fever  from  working  in  the  water  under  a  hot  sun.  I  hadn't 
any  particular  mates  that  time,  and  wur  living  in  a  bit  of  a 
tent  made  of  a  couple  of  blankets,  and  though  the  boys  looked 
in  and  did  any  job  that  wur  wanted  I  wur  mighty  bad  and 
went  off  my  head  for  a  bit,  and  the  first  thing  I  seen  when 
I  came  round  was  Softy  in  the  tent  tending  me.  Ef  he  had 
been  a  woman  and  I  had  been  his  son  he  couldn't  have  looked 
after  me  tenderer. 

"  I  found  when  I  began  to  get  round  he  had  been  getting 


"WE  WERE  A   ROUGH   LOT  IN   '49."  355 

meat  for  me  from  the  boys  and  making  soups,  but  as  soon  as  1 
got  round  enough  to  know  what  was  going  on  I  pointed  out 
to  him  the  place  where  I  had  hid  my  dust,  and  he  took  charge 
of  it  and  got  me  what  was  wanted,  till  I  picked  up  and  got 
middling  strong  again.  As  soon  as  I  did  Softy  went  off  to 
look  after  someone  else  who  was  bad,  but  I  think  he  took  to 
me  more  than  he  had  to  anyone  else,  for  he  would  come  in  and 
sit  with  me  sometimes  in  the  evening,  and  I  found  that  he 
wura't  really  short  of  wits  as  people  thought,  but  would  talk 
on  most  things  just  as  straight  as  anyone.  He  didn't  seem  to 
have  much  interest  in  the  digging,  which  wur  about  the  only 
thing  we  thought  of;  but  when  I  asked  him  what  he  had  come 
to  the  mining  camps  for,  if  it  wasn't  to  get  gold,  he  just  smiled 
gently  and  said  he  had  a  mission. 

"  What  the  mission  wur  he  never  said,  and  I  concluded  that 
though  he  was  all  there  in  other  things  his  brain  had  somehow 
got  mixed  on  that  point,  onless  it  wur  that  his  mission  was  to 
look  after  the  sick.  Waal,  we  were  a  rough  lot  in  '49,  you  bet. 
Lynch-law  hadn't  begun,  and  there  wuz  rows  and  fights  of  the 
wust  kind.  Our  camp  had  been  pretty  quiet  ontil  someone 
set  up  a  saloon  and  gambling  shop,  and  some  pretty  tough 
characters  came.  That  was  just  as  I  wur  getting  about  agin, 
though  not  able  to  work  regular.  It  wurn't  long  before  two 
fellows  became  the  terror  of  the  camp,  and  they  went  on  so  bad 
that  the  boys  began  to  talk  among  themselves  that  they  must 
be  put  down;  but  no  one  cared  about  taking  the  lead.  They 
had  shot  four  fellows  in  the  first  week  after  they  came. 

"I  hadn't  seen  Softy  for  ten  days.  He  had  been  away  miss- 
ing a  woodman  as  had  his  leg  broke  by  the  fall  of  a  tree. 
I  was  sitting  outside  my  tent  with  a  chap  they  called  Red  Sam. 
We  had  a  bottle  of  brandy  between  us,  when  them  two  fellows 
carp?  along,  and  one  of  them  just  stooped  and  took  up  the  bottle 
aa'  put  it  to  his  lips  and  drank  half  of  it  off,  and  then  passed 
y  >  the  other  without  saying  by  your  leave  or  any&ing.  Red 


356  A   FIGHT   WITH   KNIVES. 

Sam  said,  '  Well,  I'm  blowed ! '  when  the  fellow  who  had  drunk 
whipped  out  his  bowie — six-shooters  had  hardiy  come  in  then 
— and  afore  Red  Sam  could  get  fairly  to  his  feet  he  struck  him 
under  the  ribs.  Waal,  I  jumped  up  and  drew  my  bowie,  for  it 
wur  my  quarrel,  you  see.  He  made  at  me.  I  caught  his  wrist 
as  the  knife  was  coming  down,  and  he  caught  mine ;  but  I  wur 
like  a  child  in  his  arms.  I  thought  it  wur  all  over  with  me, 
when  I  heard  a  shout,  and  Softy  sprang  on  the  man  like  a  wild 
cat  and  drove  his  knife  right  into  him,  and  he  went  down  like 
a  log. 

"  The  other  shouted  out  an  oath  and  drew.  Softy  faced  him. 
It  wur  the  strangest  sight  I  ever  seen.  His  hat  had  fallen  off, 
and  his  hair,  which  wur  just  as  white  then  as  it  is  now,  fell  back 
from  his  face,  and  his  eyes,  that  looked  so  soft  and  gentle,  wur 
just  blazing.  It  came  across  me  then,  as  it  have  come  across  me 
many  a  time  since,  that  he  looked  like  a  lion  going  to  spring; 
and  I  think  Buckskin,  as  the  man  called  himself,  who  had  often 
boasted  as  he  didn't  fear  a  living  thing,  was  frighted.  They 
stood  facing  each  other  for  a  moment,  and  then  Softy  sprang 
at  him.  He  was  so  quick  that  instead  of  Buckskin's  knife  catch- 
ing him,  as  he  intended,  just  in  front  of  the  shoulder  and  going 
straight  down  to  the  heart,  it  caught  him  behind  the  shoulder, 
and  laid  open  his  back  pretty  near  down  to  the  waist. 

"But  there  wur  no  mistake  about  Softy's  stroke.  It  went 
fair  between  the  ribs,  and  Buckskin  fell  back  dead,  with  Softy 
on  the  top  of  him.  Waal,  after  that  it  wur  my  turn  to  nuss  the 
doctor,  for  no  one  called  him  Softy  after  that.  He  wur  laid  up 
for  over  a  month,  and  I  think  that  letting  out  of  blood  did  him 
good  and  cleared  his  brain  like.  When  he  got  well  he  wur  just 
as  you  see  him  now,  just  as  clear  and  as  sensible  a  chap  as  you 
would  see.  Why,  he  has  got  as  much  sense  as  you  would  find 
in  any  man  west  of  Missouri,  and  he's  the  truest  mate  and  the 
kindest  heart.  I  have  never  seen  the  doctor  out  of  temper, 
for  you  can't  call  it  being  out  of  temper  when  he  rises  up  and 


"THERE  AIN'T  NO  HOLDING  HIM."  357 

goes  for  a  man;  that  is  his  mission.  He  has  never  got  that  out 
of  his  head,  and  never  will  ontil  he  dies. 

"  He  can  put  up  with  a  deal,  the  doctor  can;  but  when  a  man 
gits  just  too  bad  for  anything,  then  it  seems  to  him  as  he  has 
got  a  call  to  wipe  him  out,  and  he  wipes  him  out,  you  bet. 
You  don't  want  lynch-law  where  the  doctor  is:  he  is  a  judge 
and  a  posse  all  to  himself,  and  for  years  he  was  the  terror  of 
hard  characters  down  in  California.  They  was  just  skeered  of 
him,  and  if  a  downright  bad  man  came  to  a  camp  and  heard  the 
doctor  wur  there,  he  would  in  general  clear  straight  out  agin. 
He  has  been  shot  and  cut  all  over,  has  the  doctor,  and  half  a 
dozen  times  it  seemed  to  me  I  should  never  bring  him  round 
agin. 

"It  ain't  no  use  talking  to  him  and  asking  him  why  he 
should  take  on  hisself  to  be  a  jedge  and  jury.  When  it's  all 
over  he  always  says  in  his  gentle  way  that  he  is  sorry  about  it, 
and  I  do  think  he  is,  and  he  says  he  will  attend  to  his  own 
business  in  future;  but  the  next  time  it  is  just  the  same  thing 
again.  There  ain't  no  holding  him.  You  might  just  as  well 
try  to  stop  a  mountain  lion  when  he  smells  blood.  At  such 
times  he  ain't  hisself.  If  you  had  once  seen  him  you  would 
never  forget  it.  There  wur  a  British  painting  fellow  who  wur 
travelling  about  taking  pictures  for  a  book.  He  wur  in  camp 
once  when  the  doctor's  dander  rose,  and  he  went  for  a  man; 
and  the  Britisher  said  arterwards  to  me  as  it  were  like  the 
bersek  rage.  I  never  heard  tell  of  the  berseks;  but  from  what 
the  chap  said  I  guessed  they  lived  in  the  old  time.  Waal,  if 
they  wur  like  the  doctor  I  tell  you  that  I  shouldn't  like  to 
get  into  a  muss  with  them.  No,  sir." 

"Do  you  know  what  the  doctor's  history  is,  Sim? " 

"Yes,  I  do  know,"  he  said,  "but  I  don't  suppose  anyone 
else  does.  Maybe  he  will  tell  you  some  day  if  he  gets  over 
this." 

"Oh!  I  don't  want  to  know  if  it  is  a  secret,  Sim." 


358  "HE  AIN'T  A  COMMON  MAN." 

"Waal,  there  ain't  no  secret  in  it,  Lightning;  but  he  don't 
talk  about  it,  and  in  course  I  don't.  It  is  a  sort  of  thing  that 
has  happened  to  other  men,  and  maybe  after  a  bit  they  have 
got  over  it;  but  the  doctor  ain't.  You  see  he  ain't  a  common 
man :  he  has  got  the  heart  of  a  woman,  and  for  a  time  it  pretty 
nigh  crazed  him." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  AVENGER. 

TTUGH  told  the  coachman  to  go  back  to  the  hacienda,  and 
"  to  return  for  him  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  went  in 
with  Sim.  The  doctor  smiled  faintly  as  Hugh  sat  down  beside 
him  and  asked  how  he  was  getting  on. 

"  I  am  getting  on,  lad,"  he  said.  "  I  reckon  I  shall  be  there 
before  long." 

Hugh  affected  to  misunderstand  him. 

"You  must  pick  up  strength,"  he  said,  "or  we  shall  never 
carry  out  that  expedition  among  the  Apaches,  you  know." 

"If  you  wait  for  that  you  will  wait  a  long  time,"  the  doctor 
said  quietly. 

"I  hope  not,"  Hugh  said  cheerily.  "By  the  way,  Sim,  you 
told  me  you  would  tell  me  some  of  your  adventures  in  the  early 
days  of  California.  I  am  interested  in  that,  because  I  had  an 
uncle  there.  He  was  ten  years  or  so  out  there." 

"What  was  his  name,  Lightning?  "  Sim  asked. 

"His  name  was  Will  Tunstall." 

An  exclamation  burst  from  both  his  hearers. 

"  Your  uncle ! "  Sim  exclaimed.  "  Waal,  that  beats  all,  and  to 
think  that  we  should  have  been  all  this  time  together  and  never 
known  that.  Is  your  name  Tunstall  too  ?  " 

"Yes,  Hugh  Tunstall." 

"To  think  now,  doctor! "  Sim  said;  "and  we  never  knowed 
him  except  as  Hugh  or  Lightning,  and  he  is  Will  Tunstall's 


360  "THERE  MUST  BE  SOME  MISTAKE." 

nephew.     Why,  lad,  Bill — English  Bill  we  called  him — was  a 
mate  of  ours,  and  a  better  mate  men  never  worked  with." 

"You  are  like  him,  lad,"  the  doctor  said  in  a  voice  so  differ- 
ent from  that  in  which  he  had  before  spoken  that  Hugh  quite 
started.  "  I  thought  you  reminded  me  of  someone,  and  now 
I  know.  It  was  English  Bill.  He  was  just  as  tall  and  as  straight 
as  you  are,  and  laughed  and  talked  just  as  you  do.  I  wonder, 
Sim,  we  didn't  notice  it  at  once.  Well,  well,  that  is  strange !  " 

Hugh  was  greatly  surprised.  It  was  indeed  strange  that  he 
should  have  met  these  two  mates  of  his  uncle.  Stranger  still 
that  they  should  have  entertained  such  evident  affection  for  a 
man  who  seemed  to  him  to  differ  in  character  so  widely  from 
them.  He  was  surprised,  too,  at  the  doctor's  remarks  about  his 
resemblance  to  his  uncle,  for  he  could  see  no  likeness  whatever. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "I  should  have  had  no  idea  that  I  was  like 
my  uncle.  I  think  you  must  have  forgotten  his  figure.  He  is 
tall  and  muscular  certainly,  but  he  is  much  darker  than  I  am, 
and,  I  think,  altogether  different." 

The  doctor  and  Sim  looked  at  each  other  with  astonishment. 

" There  must  be  some  mistake,"  Sim  said.  "Do  you  say 
your  uncle  is  alive  now?  " 

"Certainly  I  do,"  Hugh  replied,  in  turn  surprised. 

"Ah!  then,  it  isn't  the  same  man,"  Sim  said.  "Our  Bill 
Tunstall  was  killed  ten  years  ago.  It  is  odd,  too ;  Tunstall 
ain't  a  common  name,  at  least  not  in  these  parts.  If  you  had 
ever  said  your  own  name  before  I  should  have  noticed  it,  and 
asked  you  about  it;  but  Royce  always  called  you  Lightning,  or 
Hugh,  and  one  may  know  men  here  for  years  by  the  name  they 
have  got  without  ever  thinking  what  name  they  might  be  born 
with." 

"Is  Tunstall  a  common  name  in  England,  Lightning?  "  the 
doctor  asked. 

"No,  I  don't  think  so,  doctor.  I  never  met  any  others. 
We  came  from  the  north  of  England,  from  Cumberland." 


"YOU   HEAR  THAT,    SIM?    YOU   HEAR  THAT?"  361 

"  So  did  English  Bill, "  Sim  said.  "  Never  heard  tell  of  a  chap 
that  came  out  from  there  of  that  name,  a  tall,  straight,  strong 
fellow  like  you?  He  must  have  come  out  before  you  wur 
bora,  though,  of  course,  we  didn't  know  him  for  years  after- 
wards. h 

"My  uncle  came  out  here  before  I  was  born,"  Hugh  said; 
"but  I  never  heard  of  anyone  else  of  the  same  name  doing  so; 
still,  if  your  friend  is  dead,  of  course  it  isn't  the  same,  for  my 
uncle  is  alive.  At  least  he  was  two  years  ago.  He  is  strong, 
and  active,  and  well  knit;  but  he  is  not  as  tall  as  I  am  by  two 
inches,  I  should  say." 

"  Lift  me  up  in  bed,  Sim, "  the  doctor  said  excitedly.  "  How 
long  ago  did  your  uncle  return?  " 

"  Over  six  years  ago,"  Hugh  replied,  surprised  at  this  strange 
excitement  upon  the  part  of  a  man  who,  ten  minutes  before, 
had  seemed  to  have  no  further  interest  in  anything. 

"Six  years  ago,  Sim?    You  hear  that;  six  years  ago!" 

"Gently,  doctor,  gently;  what  are  you  driving  at?"  Sim 
asked,  really  alarmed  at  his  mate's  excitement. 

The  doctor  paid  no  attention  to  him.  "  And  he  had  been  a 
great  many  years  away?  Went  away  as  a  boy,  and  when  he 
came  back  was  so  changed  they  wouldn't  have  known  him?  " 

"Yes,  that  was  so,"  Hugh  said,  more  and  more  surprised. 

"You  hear  that,  Sim?  you  hear  that?"  the  doctor  exclaimed 
sharply. 

"  I  hear  it,  mate,  but  do  you  lie  down.  You  are  not  strong 
enough  to  be  exciting  yourself  like  this,  though  I  am  blamed 
if  I  can  see  what  it  is  about." 

"What  did  he  go  home  for?  "  the  doctor  asked,  still  unheed- 
ing Sim. 

"  He  went  home  because  my  father  had  died,  and  he  came  in 
for  a  considerable  property,  and  he  was  one  of  my  guardians." 

"Do  you  hear  that,  Sim? "  the  doctor  cried  in  a  loud  shrill 
roice  that  was  almost  a  scream;  "do  you  see  it  all  now?  " 


362  "HE  NEVER  WENT,  SIM;  DID  HE?" 

"Just  you  run  and  call  the  surgeon,  Lightning;  the  doc.'s 
going  clear  off  his  head." 

"  Stop ! "  the  doctor  said,  as  Hugh  was  about  to  hurry  off. 
"If  Sim  wasn't  that  thick-headed  he  would  see  what  I  see. 
Give  me  a  drink." 

Hugh  handed  him  a  glass  of  lemonade,  which  he  tossed  off. 

"Now,  then,  Sim,  haven't  I  told  you  this  young  fellow  was 
like  someone,  though  I  couldn't  mind  who.  Don't  you  see  it 
is  our  mate,  English  Bill." 

"Yes,  he  is  like  him,"  Sim  said,  "now  you  name  it.  He  is 
a  bit  taller,  and  his  figure  is  loose  yet,  but  he  will  widen  out 
ontil  he  is  just  what  Bill  wur." 

"Like  what  his  uncle  was,"  the  doctor  broke  in;  "don't  you 
see,  Sim,  his  uncle  was  our  mate." 

"But  how  can  that  be,  doctor?  Don't  you  hear  him  say  as 
his  uncle  is  alive  in  England,  and  didn't  we  bury  poor  Bill?  " 

"You've  heard  Hugh  say  what  his  uncle  came  home  for. 
What  was  Bill  going  home  for,  Sim?  " 

"Ah!"  Sim  exclaimed  suddenly,  as  a  light  flashed  across 
him,  "  it  was  just  what  Lightning  has  been  saying.  His  brother 
was  dead,  and  he  was  going  home  to  be  guardian  to  his  nephew; 
and  because  he  had  come  into  an  estate." 

"Quite  so,  only  he  never  went,  Sim;  did  he?" 

"No,  certainly  he  never  went,  doc.  There  is  no  doubt 
about  that." 

"But  somebody  did  go,"  the  doctor  said,  "and  we  know 
who  it  was.  The  man  who  killed  him  and  stole  his  papers." 

An  exclamation  of  astonishment  broke  from  Hugh,  while 
Sim  exclaimed  earnestly : 

"  By  thunder,  doctor,  but  you  may  be  right !  I  reckon  it 
may  be  as  you  say,  though  how  you  came  to  figure  it  out  beats 
me.  That  must  be  it.  We  never  could  make  out  why  he 
should  have  been  killed.  He  had  money  on  him,  but  not  enough 
to  tempt  the  man  as  we  suspected." 


"IT   IS   GOSPEL  TRUTH,   LIGHTNING."  363 

"  Suspected  ?  No !  the  man  we  knew  did  it, "  the  doctor  broke 
in.  "You  see  now,  Lightning,  how  it  is.  It  was  known  in 
camp  that  our  mate  had  come  into  an  estate  in  England.  He  said 
good-bye  to  us  all  and  started,  and  his  body  was  found  a  few 
miles  away.  We  felt  pretty  sure  of  the  man  who  had  done  it, 
for  he  was  missing.  He  was  a  gambler.  Bill  had  been  pretty 
thick  with  him  for  some  time,  and  I  allow  the  fellow  had  got 
the  whole  story  out  of  him,  and  knew  the  place  he  was  going 
to,  and  knew  where  it  was,  and  had  wormed  a  whole  lot  out 
of  him  that  might  be  useful  to  him.  Then  he  killed  him,  and 
wasn't  seen  any  more  in  these  parts.  I  searched  for  him  for 
a  year  up  and  down  California,  and  Nevada,  and  New  Mexico, 
and  down  into  Northern  Mexico,  but  I  never  came  across  his 
track.  If  I  had  got  as  much  as  a  sign  which  way  he  had  gone, 
I  would  have  hunted  him  down  all  over  the  world;  but  there 
was  not  a  sign  from  the  day  he  had  left  the  camp.  Nobody 
ever  heard  of  him  again.  I  found  out  he  had  a  wife  down 
in  Southern  California,  a  Mexican  girl,  and  I  went  down  there 
to  hunt  her  out,  but  she  had  gone  too — had  left  a  few  days 
after  he  had  disappeared.  Now  we  are  on  his  track  again,  Sim. 
I  guess  in  a  week  I  will  be  up,  and  you  and  I  will  go  straight 
off  with  this  young  fellow  to  England,  and  see  this  thing  out. 
Lay  me  down  now.  I  must  be  quiet  for  a  bit.  Take  Light- 
ning out  and  talk  it  over  with  him,  and  tell  the  cook  to  let  me 
have  some  strong  soup,  for  I  have  got  to  get  out  of  this  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"Can  all  this  be  true,  Sim,  do  you  think?  "  Hugh  said;  "or 
is  the  doctor  light-headed?  Do  you  think  it  is  possible  that 
the  man  who  murdered  my  uncle  is  the  one  who  has  taken  his 
place  all  these  years." 

"  It  is  gospel  truth,  Lightning.  At  least  it  is  gospel  truth 
that  your  uncle  was  murdered  here,  for  there  can't  be  no  doubt 
that  your  uncle  Bill  Tunstall  and  our  mate  is  the  same  man; 
but  I  can't  say  whether  the  one  as  you  thought  was  your  uncle 


364  "  THAT'S  HIM." 

is  the  one  that  killed  him.  Your  description  is  like  enough  to 
him.  Tell  me  a  little  more  about  him." 

"He  is  rather  dark,  with  a  moustache  but  no  whiskers;  he 
has  a  quiet  manner;  he  is  slight,  but  gives  you  the  idea  of 
being  very  strong.  He  has  very  white  well-made  hands.  He 
shows  his  teeth  a  little  when  he  smiles,  but  even  when  I  first 
knew  him  I  never  liked  his  smile;  there  was  something  about 
it  that  wasn'  t  honest.  And  he  brought  over  with  him  a  Mexican 
wife." 

"That's  him,"  Sim  said  in  a  tone  of  conviction;  "you  have 
just  described  him.  He  has  a  light  sort  of  walk  like  a  cat,  and 
a  tigerish  way  with  him  all  over.  There  ain't  a  doubt  that  is 
the  man.  And  what  is  the  woman  like?  " 

"She  has  always  been  very  kind  and  good  to  me,"  Hugh 
said.  "  No  aunt  could  have  been  kinder.  I  am  awfully  sorry 
for  her,  but  I  hated  the  man.  That  was  why  I  left  England. 
I  came  into  the  room  one  day  and  found  that  he  had  knocked 
his  wife  down,  and  I  seized  him.  Then  he  knocked  me  down, 
and  I  caught  up  the  poker.  I  was  no  match  for  him  then  in 
strength.  Then  he  drew  a  pistol,  but  I  hit  him  before  he  could 
aim ;  and  as  he  went  down  his  head  came  against  a  sharp  cor- 
ner of  a  piece  of  furniture,  and  I  thought  that  I  had  killed 
him,  so  I  bolted  at  once,  made  my  way  to  Hamburg,  and  crossed 
to  New  York.  That  is  how  I  came  to  be  here." 

"Has  he  got  much  of  the  property,  lad?  " 

"He  has  got  what  was  my  uncle's  share,"  Hugh  replied. 
"  Now  that  I  know  who  he  is  I  can  understand  things.  I  could 
not  understand  before.  If  I  had  died  before  I  came  of  age 
he  would  have  had  the  whole  of  the  property.  He  used  to 
get  the  most  vicious  horses  he  could  find  for  me  to  ride,  and 
I  remember  now  when  we  were  in  Switzerland  together  he 
wanted  to  take  me  up  mountains  with  him,  but  my  aunt  wouldn't 
let  me  go.  Then  he  offered  to  teach  me  pistol-shooting,  but 
somehow  he  dropped  that,  and  my  aunt  taught  me  herself. 


"IT  WILL   PULL   HIM   ROUND."  365 

I  think  she  must  have  stopped  him.  Thinking  it  all  over  now, 
I  feel  sure  that  he  must  have  intended  to  kill  me  somehow, 
and  that  she  managed  to  save  my  life.  There  were  often 
quarrels  between  them,  but  she  didn't  seem  to  be  afraid  of  him. 
I  think  that  she  must  have  had  some  sort  of  hold  over  him." 

"Waal,  there  is  one  thing,"  Sim  said  after  a  pause;  "I  be- 
lieve this  here  discovery  has  saved  the  doctor's  life.  He  had 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  had  done  with  it,  and  wasn't  going 
to  try  to  get  better.  Now,  you  see,  he  is  all  eagerness  to  get 
on  this  fellow's  scent.  If  he  had  been  a  blood-hound  he  could 
not  have  hunted  the  country  closer  than  he  did  for  that  thar 
tarnal  villain.  He  had  an  idee  it  wur  his  business  to  wipe  him 
out,  and  when  the  doctor  gets  set  on  an  idee  like  that  he  carries 
it  out.  It  will  pull  him  round  now,  you  see  if  it  don't." 

"I  do  hope  so,  indeed,  Sim,"  Hugh  said  warmly.  "The 
doctor  is  a  wonderful  fellow,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  him  we 
should  never  have  arrived  at  this  discovery.  Well,  I  am  glad. 
Of  course  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  my  uncle  was  murdered,  but 
as  I  never  saw  him  that  does  not  affect  me  so  much;  but  I  am 
glad  to  hear  that  this  man  whom  I  hated,  a  man  who  ill-treated 
his  wife  and  who  spent  all  his  time  at  horse-racing  and  gam- 
bling, is  not  my  uncle,  and  has  no  right  to  a  share  in  the  pro- 
perty that  has  been  in  our  family  for  so  many  years.  I  only 
hope  that  this  excitement  will  not  do  the  doctor  any  harm." 

"I  am  sure  that  it  will  do  him  good,"  Sim  said  confidently; 
"but  it  wur  strange  to  see  a  man  who  looked  as  if  he  wur  just 
dying  out  wake  up  like  that;  but  that  has  always  been  his 
way;  just  as  quiet  as  a  woman  at  most  times,  but  blazing  out 
when  he  felt  thar  wur  a  great  wrong,  and  that  it  wur  his  duty 
to  set  it  right.  I  can  tell  you  now  what  I  know  about  his 
story.  Now  he  knows  you  are  English  Bill's  nephew  he  won't 
mind  your  knowing.  Waal,  his  story  ain't  anything  much  out 
of  the  way.  There  are  scores  who  have  suffered  the  like,  but 
it  didn't  have  the  effect  on  them  like  it  did  on  the  doctor. 


366  THE  DOCTOR'S  STORY. 

"  He  is  really  a  doctor  trained  and  edicated.  He  married  out 
east.  He  wur  a  quiet  little  fellow,  and  not  fit  to  hustle  round 
in  towns  and  push  hisself  forward;  so  he  and  his  wife  came 
round  and  settled  in  Calif orny  somewhere  about  '36.  Thar 
wurn't  many  Americans  here  then,  as  you  may  guess.  He  settled 
down  in  the  south  somewhere  a  hundred  miles  or  so  from  Los 
Angeles.  He  had  some  money  of  his  own,  and  he  bought  a 
place  and  planted  fruit  trees  and  made  a  sort  of  little  paradise 
of  it.  That  is  what  he  told  me  he  lived  on,  doctoring  when 
it  came  in  his  way.  There  wur  some  rich  Mexicans  about,  and 
he  looked  after  most  of  them;  but  I  guess  he  did  more  among 
the  poor.  He  had  four  children,  and  things  went  on  peaceable 
till  '48.  Then  you  know  gold  was  discovered,  and  that  turned 
Calif  orny  upside  down. 

"  It  brought  pretty  nigh  all  the  roughs  in  creation  there. 
They  quarrelled  with  the  Mexikins,  and  they  quarrelled  with 
the  Injuns,  and  there  was  trouble  of  the  wust  kind. 

"  There  was  gangs  of  fellows  as  guessed  they  could  make 
more  money  by  robbing  the  miners  than  they  could  by  digging 
for  gold,  and  I  reckon  they  was  about  right;  and  when  they 
warn't  robbing  the  miners  they  was  plundering  the  Mexikins. 
Waal,  I  never  heard  the  rights  of  it,  the  doctor  never  could 
bring  hisself  to  talk  about  that,  but  one  day  when  he  had 
been  twenty  miles  away  to  visit  a  patient,  he  came  back  and 
found  his  place  burned  down,  and  his  wife  and  the  four  chil- 
dren murdered.  He  went  off  his  head,  and  some  of  the  people 
as  knew  him  took  him  down  to  Los  Angeles,  and  he  wur  a  year 
in  the  madhouse  thar.  He  wur  very  quiet.  I  believe  he  used 
ter  just  sit  and  cry. 

"  After  a  time  he  changed.  He  never  used  to  speak  a  word, 
but  just  sot  with  those  big  eyes  of  his  wide  open;  with  his 
face  working,  as  if  he  seen  an  enemy.  Waal,  after  a  year  he 
got  better,  and  the  Mexikins  let  him  out  of  that  madhouse. 
Someone  had  bought  his  place,  and  the  money  had  been  banked 


"A   NURSE   AND    NOTHING    MORE."  367 

for  him.  He  took  it  and  went  off.  He  never  got  to  hear  who 
the  gang  wur  as  had  been  to  his  house.  I  think  the  idee 
comes  to  him  ever  since  when  he  comes  across  a  really  bad  man, 
that  he  wur  one  of  that  lot,  and  then  he  goes  for  him.  It  is 
either  that,  or  he  believes  he  has  got  a  sort  of  special  call  to 
wipe  out  bad  men.  As  I  told  you,  he  is  always  ready  to  do  a 
kindness  to  anyone,  and  ef  he  has  killed  over  a  score  or  more 
of  the  wust  men  in  Californy,  I  guess  he  has  saved  five  times 
as  many  by  nussing  them  when  they  are  ill,  only  he  will  never 
give  them  medicine.  One  of  his  idees  is  that  if  he  hadn't  gone 
on  doctoring,  he  wouldn't  have  been  away  when  that  gang 
came  to  his  house,  and  that  is  why  he  will  never  do  anything  as 
a  doctor  again.  He  is  just  a  nuss,  he  says,  and  nothing  more. 

"Now,  don't  you  go  for  to  think,  Lightning,  that  the  doctor 
is  the  least  bit  mad,  because  he  ain't,  and  never  have  been  since 
I  first  knew  him,  and  I  should  like  to  see  the  man  as  would 
say  that  he  wur.  He  is  just  as  sensible  as  I  am;  that  ain't 
saying  much;  he  is  ten  times  as  sensible.  He  always  knows 
the  right  thing  to  do,  does  the  doctor,  and  does  it.  He  air  just 
an  ornary  man,  with  heaps  of  good  sense,  and  just  the  kindest 
heart  in  the  world,  only  when  thar  is  a  regular  downright  bad 
man  in  the  camp,  the  doctor  takes  him  in  hand  all  to  hisself." 

"But,  Sim,  I  thought  you  were  going  about  this  gold  busi- 
ness, this  placer,  directly  the  doctor  was  able  to  move." 

"That  has  got  to  wait,"  Sim  said.  "Maybe  some  day  or 
other,  when  this  business  of  yours  is  over,  I  may  come  back 
and  see  about  it;  maybe  I  won't.  Ef  the  doctor  is  going  to 
England  with  you,  I  am  going;  that  is  sartin.  Besides,  even 
if  I  would  let  him  go  alone,  which  aren't  likely,  maybe  his 
word  wouldn't  be  enough.  One  witness  wouldn't  do  to  swear 
that  this  man  who  has  stepped  into  your  uncle's  shoes  ain't  what 
he  pretends  to  be;  but  if  thar  is  two  of  us  can  swear  to  him 
as  being  Symonds  the  gambler,  it'll  go  a  long  way.  But  you 
may  have  trouble  even  then.  Anyhow,  don't  you  worry  your- 


368  HUGH  TELLS  THE  STORY. 

self  about  the  gold-mine.  Like  enough  we  should  all  have 
been  wiped  out  by  the  Red-skins  ef  we  had  tried  it.  Now  I 
will  just  look  in  and  see  how  the  doctor  is  afore  you  go." 

Sim  returned  in  two  minutes,  saying  that  the  doctor  had 
drank  a  bowl  of  soup,  and  had  told  the  orderly  who  brought  it 
that  he  was  going  to  sleep,  as  he  wanted  to  get  strong,  being 
bound  to  start  for  a  journey  in  a  week's  time. 

As  the  carriage  was  not  to  return  until  late,  Hugh  started 
to  walk  over  to  Don  Ramon's,  as  he  wanted  to  think  over  the 
strange  news  he  had  heard. 

"Your  friend  is  better,  I  hope,"  the  senora  said  as  he 
entered,  "or  you  would  not  have  returned  so  soon." 

"  He  is  better,  senora.  We  have  made  a  strange  discovery 
that  has  roused  him  up,  and  given  him  new  life,  while  it  has 
closely  affected  me.  With  your  permission  I  will  tell  it  to 
you  all." 

"Is  it  a  story,  Seiior  Hugh?"  the  younger  girl  said.  "I 
love  a  story  above  all  things." 

"  It  is  a  very  curious  story,  senorita,  as  I  am  sure  you  will 
agree  when  you  hear  it;  but  it  is  long,  therefore,  I  pray  you  to 
make  yourselves  comfortable  before  I  begin." 

As  soon  as  they  had  seated  themselves,  Hugh  told  the  story 
of  the  flight  of  his  uncle  as  a  boy,  of  his  long  absence  and 
return;  of  the  life  at  home,  and  the  quarrel  that  had  been  the 
cause  of  his  own  flight  from  home;  and  how  he  had  that  day 
discovered  that  his  companions  in  their  late  adventure  had  been 
his  uncle's  comrades  and  friends;  and  how,  comparing  notes, 
he  had  found  that  his  uncle  had  been  murdered,  and  that  his 
assassin  had  gone  over  and  occupied  his  place  in  England. 
Many  exclamations  of  surprise  were  uttered  by  his  auditors. 

"And  what  are  you  going  to  do  now,  senor?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  start  for  home  as  soon  as  the  doctor  is  well 
enough  to  travel.  I  should  have  been  willing  to  have  first  gone 
with  them  upon  the  expedition  upon  which  we  were  about  to 


DON  RAMON'S  INTENTIONS.  369 

start  when  your  daughters  were  carried  off,  but  Sim  Howlett 
would  not  hear  of  it." 

" I  intended  to  have  had  my  say  in  the  matter,"  Don  Ramon 
said,  "  and  have  only  been  waiting  to  complete  my  arrange- 
ments. I  have  not  hurried,  because  I  knew  that  until  your 
companion  died  or  recovered,  you  would  not  be  making  a 
move.  I  am,  as  you  know,  senor,  a  very  wealthy  man,  wealthy 
even  for  a  Mexican,  and  we  have  among  us  fortunes  far  sur- 
passing those  of  rich  men  among  the  Americans.  In  addition 
to  my  broad  lands,  my  flocks  and  herds,  I  have  some  rich 
silver  mines  in  Mexico  which  alone  bring  me  in  far  more  than 
we  can  spend.  The  ransom  that  these  brigands  set  upon  my 
daughters  was  as  nothing  to  me,  and  I  would  have  paid  it  five 
times  over  had  I  been  sure  of  recovering  them;  but,  you  see, 
this  was  what  I  was  not  sure  of,  and  the  fact  that  they  had 
not  asked  more  when  they  knew  how  wealthy  I  was,  in  itself 
assured  me  that  they  intended  to  play  me  false,  and  that  it 
was  their  intention  to  keep  them  and  to  continue  to  extort 
further  sums. 

"  You  and  your  friends  restored  my  daughters  to  me.  Now, 
Senor  Hugh,  you  are  an  English  gentleman,  and  I  know  that 
you  would  feel  the  offer  of  any  reward  for  your  inestimable 
services  as  an  insult;  but  your  three  companions  are  in  a  differ- 
ent position,  two  are  miners  and  one  is  a  vaquero.  I  know  well 
that  in  rendering  me  that  service,  there  was  no  thought  of  gain 
in  their  minds,  and  that  they  risked  their  lives  as  freely  as  you 
did,  and  in  the  same  spirit,  that  of  a  simple  desire  to  rescue 
women  from  the  hands  of  scoundrels.  That,  however,  makes 
no  difference  whatever  in  my  obligation  towards  them. 

"My  banker  yesterday  received  the  sum  in  gold  that  I 
directed  him  to  obtain  to  pay  the  ransom,  and  I  have  to-day 
given  him  orders  to  place  three  sums  of  25,000  dollars  each  at 
their  disposal,  so  that  they  need  no  longer  lead  their  hard  and 
perilous  life,  but  can  settle  down  where  they  will.  I  know 


370  "A  SMALL  TOKEN   OF   MY   GRATITUDE." 

the  independence  of  the  Americans,  senor,  but  I  rely  upon  yon 
to  convince  these  three  men  that  they  can  take  this  money 
without  feeling  that  it  is  a  payment  for  their  services.  They 
have  given  me  back  my  daughters  at  the  risk  of  their  lives, 
and  they  must  not  refuse  to  allow  me  in  turn  to  make  them  a 
gift,  which  is  but  a  small  token  of  my  gratitude,  and  will  leave 
me  still  immeasurably  their  debtor." 

"  I  will  indeed  do  my  best  to  persuade  them  to  accept  your 
gift,  Don  Ramon,  and  believe  that  I  shall  be  able  to  do  so. 
The  doctor  is  a  man  of  nearly  sixty,  and  Hewlett  is  getting 
on  in  years,  and  it  would  be  well  indeed  for  them  now  to  give 
up  the  hard  life  they  have  led  for  so  long.  As  to  Bill  Royce, 
I  have  no  doubt  whatever.  I  have  heard  him  say  many 
a  time  that  his  greatest  ambition  is  to  settle  down  in  a  big 
farm,  and  this  will  enable  him  to  do  so  in  a  manner  surpassing 
anything  he  can  ever  have  dreamt  of." 

"And  now,  seiior,  about  yourself .  What  you  have  just  told 
us  renders  it  far  more  difficult  than  I  had  hitherto  thought. 
We  have  talked  it  over,  I,  my  wife,  Carlos,  and  my  daughters. 
I  knew  that  you  were  a  gentleman,  but  I  did  not  know  that 
you  were  the  heir  to  property.  I  thought  you  were,  like  others 
of  your  countrymen,  who,  seeing  no  opening  at  home,  had  come 
out  to  make  your  way  here.  What  we  proposed  was  this.  To 
ask  you  whether  your  inclinations  had  turned  most  to  cattle 
breeding  or  to  mining.  In  either  case  we  could  have  helped 
you  on  the  way.  Had  you  said  ranching,  I  would  have  put 
you  as  manager  on  one  of  my  largest  ranches  on  such  terms 
that  you  would  in  a  few  years  have  been  its  master.  Had 
you  said  mining,  I  would  have  sent  you  down  to  my  mine  in 
Mexico  there  to  have  first  learned  the  nature  of  the  work,  then 
to  have  become  manager,  and  finally  to  have  been  my  partner 
in  the  affair.  But  now,  what  are  we  to  do?  You  are  going 
home.  You  have  an  estate  awaiting  you,  and  our  intentions 
have  come  to  naught." 


"fT  IS   A   BIG   LUMP  OF   MONEY  TO  US."  371 

"I  am  just  as  much  obliged  to  you,  senor,  as  if  you  had 
carried  them  out,"  Hugh  said  warmly,  "  and  I  thank  you  most 
deeply  for  having  so  kindly  proposed  to  advance  my  fortunes. 
Had  I  remained  here  I  would  indeed  have  accepted  gratefully 
one  or  other  of  your  offers.  As  it  is  I  shall  want  for  nothing, 
and  I  can  assure  you  I  feel  that  the  small  share  I  took  in  the 
rescue  of  your  daughters  is  more  than  repaid  by  the  great  kind- 
ness that  you  have  shown  me." 

The  next  day  Hugh  explained  to  two  of  his  friends  the  gift 
that  Don  Ramon  had  made  them.  Bill  Royce,  to  whom  he 
first  spoke,  was  delighted.  "  Jehosaphat !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  that 
is  something  like.  I  thought  when  the  judge  here  paid  us  over 
our  share  of  the  reward  for  the  capture  of  those  brigands,  that 
it  was  about  the  biggest  bit  of  luck  that  I  had  ever  heard  of; 
but  this  beats  all.  That  Don  Ramon  is  a  prince.  Well,  no 
more  ranching  for  me.  I  shall  go  back  east  and  buy  a  farm 
there.  There  was  a  girl  promised  to  wait  for  me,  but  as  that 
is  eight  years  ago,  I  don't  suppose  she  has  done  it;  still  when 
I  get  back  with  25,000  dollars  in  my  pocket,  I  reckon  I  sha'n't 
be  long  before  I  find  someone  ready  to  share  it  with  me.  And 
you  say  I  can  walk  right  into  that  bank  and  draw  it  in  gold  ?  " 
"Yes,  you  can,  Bill,  but  I  shouldn't  advise  you  to  do  it." 
"  How  am  I  to  take  the  money,  then,  Lightning?  " 
"The  bank  will  give  you  an  order  on  some  bank  in  New 
York,  and  when  you  get  there  you  can  draw  the  money  out  as 
you  like." 

Sim  Hewlett  received  the  news  in  silence.  Then  he  said : 
"  Waal,  Hugh,  I  don't  see  why  we  shouldn't  take  it ;  as  Don 
Ramon  says  it  isn't  much  to  him,  and  it  is  a  big  lump  of 
money  to  us.  I  would  have  fought  for  the  gals  just  as  willing 
if  they  had  been  peons ;  but  seeing  as  their  father's  got  more 
money  than  he  knows  what  to  do  with,  it  is  reasonable  and 
natural  as  he  should  want  to  get  rid  of  the  obligation  to  us, 
and  anyhow  we  sared  him  from  having  to  pay  200,000  dollaa 


STARTING   FOR   HOME. 

as  a  beginning,  and  perhaps  as  much  as  that  over  and  over 
again,  afore  he  got  them  back.  We  had  best  say  nothing  tc 
the  doctor  now  his  mind  is  set  on  one  thing,  and  he  is  going 
to  get  well  so  as  to  carry  it  out;  when  that  job  is  over  it  will 
be  time  enough  to  tell  him  about  this.  I  am  beginning  to  feel 
too  stiff  for  work,  and  the  doc.  was  never  any  good  that  way, 
and  he  is  getting  on  now.  I  shall  be  able  to  persuade  him 
when  the  time  comes,  and  shall  tell  him  that  if  he  won't  keep 
his  money,  I  shall  have  to  send  back  mine.  But  he  is  too 
sensible  not  to  see,  as  I  do,  that  it  is  reasonable  on  the  part  of 
the  don,  and  if  he  don't  want  it  hisself,  he  can  give  it  to  a 
hospital  and  share  mine  with  me.  I  reckon  we  shall  hang 
together  as  long  as  we  both  live;  so  you  can  tell  the  don  it  is 
settled,  and  that  though  we  had  no  thought  of  money,  we  won't 
say  no  to  his  offer." 

Now  that  the  doctor  had  made  up  his  mind  to  live,  he 
recovered  with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  in  a  fortnight  was 
ready  to  travel. 

Hugh  took  leave  of  Don  Ramon  and  his  family  with  great 
regret;  they  were  all  much  affected  at  parting  with  him,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  promise  that  if  ever  he  crossed  the  Atlantic 
again  he  would  come  and  pay  them  a  visit.  Prince  went  back 
to  his  old  stable,  for  the  party  were  going  to  travel  down  the 
Rio  Grande  by  boat.  At  Matamoras,  the  port  at  its  mouth, 
they  went  by  a  coasting  steamer  to  Galveston,  and  thence  bf 
another  steamer  to  New  York.  Here  Royce  left  them,  and 
the  other  three  crossed  by  a  Cunarder  to  Liverpool.  The  quiet 
and  sea-voyage  quite  restored  the  doctor,  who  was  by  far  the 
most  impatient  of  them  to  get  to  the  journey's  end.  They  had 
obtained  a  compete  rig-out  of  what  Sim  called  store-clothes 
at  New  York,  though  Hugh  had  some  difficulty  in  persuading 
him  to  adopt  the  white  shirt  of  civilization. 

On  arriving  Hugh  wrote  to  Mr.  Randolph  saying  that  he  had 
news  of  very  great  importance  to  communicate  to  him,  but 


"BLESS  ME!  is  THIS  YOU?"  373 

that  he  did  not  wish  to  appear  at  Carlisle  until  he  had  seen 
him,  and  therefore  begged  him  to  write  and  make  an  appoint- 
ment to  meet  him  at  Kendal  on  the  third  day  after  he  received 
the  letter.  The  answer  came  in  due  time.  It  was  short  and 
characteristic :  "  My  dear  Hugh,  I  am  delighted  to  hear  that 
you  are  back  in  England  again.  You  behaved  like  a  fool  in 
going  away,  and  an  even  greater  one  in  staying  away  so  long. 
However  I  will  give  you  my  opinion  more  fully  when  I  see  you. 
I  am  very  glad,  for  many  reasons,  that  you  have  returned.  I 
can't  think  what  you  want  to  say  to  me,  but  will  arrive  at 
Kendal  by  the  train  that  gets  in  at  12  o'clock  on  Thursday 
next." 

When  Mr.  Randolph  got  out  of  the  train  at  Kendal,  Hugh 
was  awaiting  him  on  the  platform. 

"  Bless  me !  is  this  you?  "  he  exclaimed,  as  the  young  fellow 
strode  up  to  him.  "  You  were  a  big  lad  when  you  left,  but 
you  are  a  big  man  now,  and  a  Tunstall  all  over." 

"  Well,  I  have  been  gone  nearly  three  years,  you  see,  Mr. 
Randolph,  and  that  makes  a  difference  at  my  age.  I  am  past 
nineteen." 

"  Yes,  I  suppose  you  are,  now  I  think  of  it.  Well,  well, 
where  are  we  to  go?  " 

"  I  have  got  a  private  sitting-room  at  the  hotel,  and  have  two 
friends  there  whom  I  want  to  introduce  you  to;  when  I  tell  you 
that  they  have  come  all  the  way  with  me  from  Mexico  to  do 
me  a  service,  they  are,  you  will  acknowledge,  friends  worth 
having." 

"  Well,  that  looks  as  if  there  were  really  something  in  what 
you  have  got  to  say  to  me,  Hugh;  men  don't  take  such  a 
journey  as  that  unless  for  some  strong  reason.  What  are  your 
friends?  for  as  I  have  no  idea  what  you  have  been  doing  these 
three  years,  I  do  not  know  whether  you  have  been  consorting 
with  princes  or  peasants." 

"With  a  little  of  both,  Mr.  Randolph;  one  of  my  friends  is 


374  MR.    RANDOLPH    IS   ASTONISHED. 

a  Califoniian  miner,  and  as  good  a  specimen  of  one  as  you  can 
meet  with;  the  other  is  a  doctor,  or  rather,  as  I  should  say,  has 
been  a  doctor,  for  he  has  ceased  for  some  years  to  practise,  and 
kas  been  exploring  and  mining." 

"  And  they  have  both  come  over  purely  for  the  sake  of  doing 
you  a  service?  "  Mr.  Randolph  asked,  elevating  his  eyebrows  a 
little. 

"  Simply  that,  Mr.  Randolph,  strange  as  it  may  appear  to 
your  legal  mind.  However,  as  this  is  the  hotel  where  we  are 
putting  up,  you  won't  be  kept  much  longer  in  a  state  of  curi- 
osity." 

"  Sim  and  Doctor,  this  is  my  oldest  friend  and  trustee,  Mr. 
Randolph.  Mr.  Randolph,  these  are  my  two  very  good  friends, 
Doctor  Hunter  and  Mr.  Sim  Hewlett."  In  the  States  introduc« 
tions  are  always  performed  ceremoniously,  and  the  two  men 
shook  hands  gravely  with  the  lawyer.  "  I  said,  Mr.  Randolph, " 
Hugh  went  on,  "  that  they  were  my  good  friends.  I  may  add 
that  they  were  also  the  good  friends  of  my  late  uncle,  William 
Tunstall." 

"  Of  your  late  uncle,  Hugh !  What  are  you  thinking  about? 
Why,  he  is  alive  and  well;  and  more's  the  pity,"  he  muttered  to 
himself. 

"  I  know  what  I  am  saying,  Mr.  Randolph.  They  were  the 
dear  friends  of  my  late  uncle,  William  Tunstall,  who  was  foully 
murdered  in  the  town  of  Sacramento,  in  California,  on  his  way 
to  San  Francisco,  in  reply  to  your  summons  to  return  to 
England." 

Mr.  Randolph  looked  in  astonishment  from  one  face  to 
another  as  if  to  assure  himself  that  he  heard  correctly,  but  their 
gravity  showed  him  that  he  was  not  mistaken. 

"  Will  Tunstall  murdered  in  California !  "  he  repeated;  "  then 
who  is  it  that — " 

"  The  man  who  murdered  him,  and  who,  having  possessed 
kimself  of  his  letters  and  papers,  came  over  here  and  took  his 


"  WELL,   THIS    IS   WONDERFUL  !  "  375 

place;  a  gambler  of  the  name  of  Symonds.  My  friend  obtained 
a  warrant  from  the  sheriff  at  Sacramento  for  his  arrest  on  this 
charge  of  murder,  and  for  upwards  of  a  year  Dr.  Hunter  tra- 
velled over  California  and  Mexico  in  search  of  him.  It  never 
struck  them  that  it  was  anything  but  a  case  of  murder  for  the 
money  he  had  on  him.  The  idea  of  the  step  Symonds  really 
took,  of  personating  the  man  he  had  murdered,  never  occurred 
to  them.  We  met  in  New  Mexico,  and  were  a  considerable 
time  together  before  they  learned  that  my  name  was  Tunstall, 
for  out  there  men  are  known  either  by  their  Christian  names 
or  by  some  nickname.  Then  at  once  they  said  they  had  years 
before  had  a  mate  of  the  same  name,  and  then  gradually  om 
comparing  notes  the  truth  came  out." 

"Well — well — well — well!"  Mr.  Randolph  murmured,  seat- 
ing himself  helplessly  in  a  chair;  " this  is  wonderful.  You 
have  taken  away  my  breath;  this  is  amazing  indeed;  I  can 
hardly  take  it  in  yet,  lad.  You  are  sure  of  what  you  are  say- 
ing? Quite  sure  that  you  are  making  no  mistake?  " 

"  Quite  certain.  However,  the  doctor  will  tell  you  the  story 
for  himself."  This  the  doctor  proceeded  to  do,  narrating  the 
events  at  Cedar  Gulch;  how  the  murder  had  been  discovered, 
and  the  body  identified;  how  a  verdict  of  wilful  murder  against 
some  person  unknown  had  been  returned  by  a  coroner's  jury; 
how  he  and  Sim  Hewlett  had  gone  down  to  Sacramento,  and 
how  they  had  traced  the  deed  to  the  gambler  Symonds. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt,"  Mr.  Randolph  said  when  he  con- 
cluded, "  that  it  is  as  you  say,  and  that  this  man  is  William 
Tunstall's  murderer." 

"And  we  shall  be  able  to  bring  him  to  justice,  shall  we 
not?  "  Hugh  asked.  "That  was  why  I  wanted  you  to  meet  me 
here,  so  that  we  could  arrange  to  arrest  him  before  he  had  any 
suspicion  of  my  return." 

"  Ah !  that  is  a  different  thing  altogether,  Hugh.  The  eri- 
dence  of  your  two  friends  and  the  confirmation  that  can  doubt- 


376  "THE  MURDER  CASE  is  DIFFERENT." 

less  be  obtained  from  Sacramento  as  to  the  existence  of  the 
gravestone  erected  to  William  Tunstall,  and  of  the  finding  of 
the  coroner's  court,  will  no  doubt  enable  us  to  prove  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  courts  here  that  this  scoundrel  is  an  im- 
postor. But  the  murder  case  is  different. 

"  In  the  first  place  you  would  have  to  bring  forward  the 
charge,  and  give  your  evidence  in  the  United  States,  and  obtain 
an  application  for  his  extradition.  British  law  has  no  jurisdic- 
tion as  to  a  murder  committed  in  a  foreign  country.  Having 
set  the  United  States  authorities  in  action,  you  would  return 
here  and  aid  in  obtaining  an  order  from  a  magistrate  here 
for  that  extradition;  the  evidence  of  your  friends  would 
doubtless  be  sufficient  to  induce  a  magistrate  to  grant  such 
an  order,  then  he  would  be  taken  over  to  the  States,  and,  I 
suppose,  sent  down  to  California  to  be  tried  there.  Your 
friends  here  will  be  best  able  to  judge  whether  any  jury  out 
there  would  convict  a  man  for  a  murder  committed  eight  or 
ten  years  ago,  unless  the  very  strongest  evidence  was  forth- 
coming. 

"  It  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  obtain  the  evidence  of 
those  people,  the  waiters  and  others,  from  whom  your  friends 
gleaned  the  facts  that  put  them  upon  the  trail  of  Symonds,  and 
without  that  evidence  there  is  no  legal  proof  that  would  hang 
a  man.  Morally,  of  course,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  doubt 
about  it.  He  and  you  were  in  the  mining  camp  together,  he 
knew  the  object  for  which  Will  Tunstall  was  leaving  for  Eng- 
land, and  that  he  was  entitled  to  considerable  property  on 
arriving  here.  He  followed  him  down  to  Sacramento,  or  at 
any  rate  he  went  down  at  that  time.  They  were  together  drink- 
ing; there  your  uncle  was  found  murdered;  this  man  appeared 
here  with  the  letters  that  your  uncle  carried,  and  obtained  pos- 
session of  the  estate. 

"  It  is  a  very  strong  chain  of  evidence,  and  were  every  link 
proved  might  suffice  to  hang  him  here;  but  at  present  you  have 


AN    UNEXPECTED    BLOW.  377 

no  actual  proof  that  Symonds  ever  was  in  Sacramento  with  him, 
or  was  the  man  he  was  drinking  with;  and  even  could  you 
find  the  waiters  and  others,  it  is  very  unlikely  that  there  would 
be  any  one  to  identify  him  after  all  this  time.  Symonds' 
counsel  would  argue  that  there  was  no  proof  whatever  against 
his  client,  and  he  would,  of  course,  claim  that  Symonds  knew 
nothing  about  the  murder,  but  that  he  afterwards  obtained 
the  papers  from  the  man  who  really  committed  the  murder, 
and  that  the  idea  of  coming  over  to  England  and  personating 
Tunstall  then  for  the  first  time  occurred  to  him.  So  I  think 
you  would  find  it  extremely  difficult  to  get  a  verdict  out  in  Cali- 
fornia merely  on  the  evidence  of  these  two  gentlemen,  and  of 
my  own  that  he  was  possessed  of  a  letter  I  wrote  to  Tunstall. 
But  in  any  case,  if  you  decide  to  have  him  arrested  on  the 
charge  of  murder,  you  will  have  to  go  back  to  California  to  set 
the  law  in  motion  there,  to  get  the  State  authorities  to  apply 
to  the  supreme  authorities  of  the  United  States  to  make  an 
application  to  our  government  for  his  arrest  and  extradition. 
You  must  do  all  this  before  he  has  any  idea  that  you  have 
relumed,  or  at  any  rate  before  he  knows  that  you  have  any 
idea  of  his  crime;  otherwise  he  will,  of  course,  fly,  and  we 
shall  have  no  means  of  stopping  him,  and  he  might  be  in  Fiji 
before  the  application  for  his  arrest  was  received  here. " 

Hugh  and  his  companions  looked  helplessly  at  each  other. 
This  was  an  altogether  unexpected  blow.  They  had  imagined 
they  had  but  to  give  their  evidence  to  ensure  the  arrest,  trial, 
and  execution  of  William  Tunstall 's  murderer. 

The  doctor's  fingers  twitched,  and  the  look  that  Sim  Hewlett 
knew  so  well  came  into  his  eyes.  He  was  about  to  spring  to 
his  feet  when  Sim  touched  him. 

"Wait,  doctor,"  he  said.  "We  will  talk  about  that  after- 
wards." 

"Then  what  do  you  advise,  Mr.  Randolph?"  Hugh  asked 
after  a  long  pause. 


378  MR.  RANDOLPH'S  OPINION. 

"  I  should  say  that  for  the  present  we  should  content  our- 
selves with  arresting  him  on  the  charge  of  impersonation,  and 
of  obtaining  possession  of  your  uncle's  estate  by  fraud.  I 
think  the  proof  we  now  have,  in  the  evidence  of  these  two 
gentlemen,  and  in  this  copy  of  the  finding  of  the  coroner's  jury, 
will  be  quite  sufficient  to  ensure  his  conviction,  in  which  case 
he  will  get,  I  should  say,  seven  years'  penal  servitude — perhaps 
fourteen — for  although  he  will  not  be  charged  with  that  offence, 
the  conviction  that  he  murdered  your  uncle  in  order  to  obtain 
possession  of  the  estate  cannot  but  be  very  strong  in  the  mind 
of  the  judge.  Yes,  I  should  think  he  would  give  him  four- 
teen years  at  least.  We  may,  of  course,  want  some  other 
evidence  that  can  be  obtained  from  Sacramento,  such  as  an 
official  copy  of  the  record  of  the  proceedings  at  the  coroner's 
inquest;  bat  that  would  be  a  matter  for  counsel  to  decide.  My 
own  opinion  is,  that  the  evidence  of  these  two  gentlemen  that 
the  William  Tunstall  who  corresponded  with  your  father, 
received  my  letter  informing  him  of  the  will,  and  left  the 
mining  camp  on  his  way  to  England,  and  was  murdered  on 
his  way  to  Sacramento,  was  the  real  William  Tunstall,  will  be 
quite  sufficient. 

"  It  is  a  very  lucky  thing  for  you,  by  the  way,  Hugh,  that 
there  were  provisions  in  your  father's  will,  that  if  William 
Tunstall  died  without  issue  his  half  of  the  property  came  back 
to  you,  for  that  clause  has  effectually  prevented  him  from 
selling  his  estate,  which  he  would  have  done  long  ago  had  it 
been  possible  to  do  so.  To  my  knowledge  he  has  tried  over  and 
over  again,  and  that  clause  has  always  prevented  it.  He  has 
raised  a  little  money  on  his  life  interest,  but  that  will  of  course 
have  no  claim  on  the  estate  now.  Now,  what  do  you  say  ?  It 
is  for  you  to  decide.  In  the  one  case  you  will  have  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  trouble,  and  you  may  finally  fail  in  getting 
an  American  jury  to  find  this  man  guilty  of  the  murder;  and 
in  any  case,  if  they  do  find  him  so,  they  will  not  execute  him 


"PERHAPS  IT  is  BEST."  379 

for  a  murder  committed  so  long  ago,  and  it  is  probable  that  he 
will  get  off  with  imprisonment  for  life,  and  may  be  acquitted 
altogether.  On  the  other  hand,  if  you  have  him  arrested  at 
once  here,  on  the  charge  of  impersonation  and  fraud,  he  is 
morally  certain  of  getting  a  sentence  which,  at  his  age,  will  be 
pretty  nearly  equivalent  to  imprisonment  for  life." 

"I  certainly  think  that  is  the  best  plan,"  Hugh  agreed. 
"Don't  you  think  so? "  he  asked,  turning  to  the  others. 

"  I  think  so,"  Sim  Hewlett  said  at  once;  and  even  the  doctor, 
though  less  readily,  agreed. 

Since  his  last  illness  he  had  changed  a  good  deal.  He  had 
no  longer  fits  of  abstraction,  and  was  brighter  and  more  cheer- 
ful than  Sim  Hewlett  had  ever  seen  him  before.  The  loss  of 
blood  and  the  low  fever  that  had  brought  him  to  death's  door 
had  apparently  relieved  his  brain  of  a  load  that  had  for  years 
oppressed  it. 

"Let  it  be  so,"  he  said  reluctantly.  "Had  we  met  out  in 
the  West  it  would  have  been  different;  but  as  it  is,  perhaps  it 
is  best." 

Late  that  evening  the  party  proceeded  to  Carlisle,  and  early 
the  next  morning  Mr.  Randolph  went  with  the  others  to 
one  of  the  county  magistrates,  and,  after  laying  all  the  facts 
before  him,  obtained  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  John  Symonds 
alias  William  Tunstall. 

"  I  must  congratulate  you,  Mr.  Tunstall,"  the  magistrate  said 
to  Hugh  after  he  had  signed  the  warrant,  "  upon  your  discovery. 
This  scoundrel  has  been  a  disgrace  to  your  name.  He  has 
been  for  years  a  consorter  with  betting  men  and  blacklegs,  and 
stands  in  the  worst  odour.  It  is  said  that  he  has  mortgaged 
his  life  interest  in  the  estates  and  completely  ruined  himself." 

Mr.  Randolph  nodded.  "Yes,  I  believe  he  is  pretty  well  at 
the  end  of  his  tether,  and  at  any  moment  he  might  be  turned 
(jut  of  Byrneside." 

"Well,  there  is  an  end  to  all  that,"  the  magistrate  said, 


380  "DO  YOUR   DUTY." 

"  and  the  men  who  have  proved  themselves  even  sharper  rogues 
than  he  is,  will  be  disappointed.  I  am  sorry  for  the  person 
who  has  passed  as  your  aunt,  for  I  know  that  she  is  spoken 
well  of  by  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  I  fancy  she 
has  had  a  very  hard  time  of  it  with  him;  but  of  course  she 
must  have  been  his  accomplice  in  this  impersonation  of  your 
uncle." 

"I  am  sorry  for  her,  very  sorry,"  Hugh  said.  "She  was 
always  most  kind  to  me,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  she 
did  all  in  her  power  to  protect  me  from  him.  You  see  at  my 
death  he  would  have  inherited  the  whole  property,  and  we 
now  know  that  he  was  not  a  man  to  stick  at  anything.  I  am 
sure  that  she  acted  in  fear  of  him." 

"I  have  private  reasons  for  believing  so  too,"  Mr.  Randolph 
said;  "for,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  she  has  deposited  a 
document  that,  in  case  of  her  death,  would  have  exposed  the 
whole  plot,  in  the  hands  of  some  legal  friends  of  mine.  How- 
ever, we  will  not  occupy  your  time  any  longer,  but  will  start  at 
once  with  a  couple  of  constables  to  execute  this  warrant." 

Returning  to  Carlisle  Mr.  Randolph  secured  the  services  of 
two  constables,  and  hiring  vehicles  they  started  at  once  for 
Byrneside.  On  arriving  there  Mr.  Randolph  said  to  the  ser- 
vant, "  Announce  me  to  Mr.  Tunstall.  Do  not  say  that  I  am 
not  alone."  Following  him  closely  they  went  across  the  hall, 
and  as  he  opened  the  door  and  announced  Mr.  Randolph  the 
others  entered.  The  man  was  standing  on  the  hearth-rug. 
The  woman  looked  flushed  and  excited.  They  were  evi- 
dently in  the  midst  of  a  quarrel.  Symonds  looked  up  in  angry 
surprise  when  the  party  entered. 

"  Do  your  duty,"  Mr.  Randolph  said  to  one  of  the  constables. 

"John  Symonds,  I  arrest  you  under  a  warrant  on  the  charge  of 
impersonation  and  fraud" 

A  deep  Mexican  oath  burst  from  the  lips  of  the  man,  then 
he  stood  quiet  again. 


A   SUDDEN    TRAGEDY. 

"  Who  dares  bring  such  a  charge  against  me  ?  "  he  asked. 

"I  do,"  Hugh  said,  stepping  forward;  " and  these  are  my 
witnesses,  men  who  knew  you  at  Cedar  Gulch,  and  who  iden- 
tified the  body  of  my  murdered  uncle." 

"Traitress!"  Symonds  exclaimed  in  Mexican,  and  in  an 
instant  his  arm  was  stretched  out  and  there  was  a  report  of  a 
pistol.  "And  she  sent  you  out!"  he  exclaimed,  turning  to 
Hugh,  but  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  again  raising  his  arm  there 
was  the  report  of  another  pistol,  and  he  fell  shot  through  the 
brain. 

The  others  stood  stupefied  at  the  sudden  catastrophe,  but 
the  doctor  said  quietly,  "  I  saw  his  hand  go  behind  him,  and 
knew  he  was  up  to  mischief.  I  ought  not  to  have  waited,  it  is 
always  a  mistake  to  wait  in  these  cases." 

Hugh  sprang  forward  towards  the  woman  who  had  been 
kind  to  him,  but  she  had  fallen  back  in  her  chair.  The  gam- 
bler's bullet  had  done  its  work;  it  had  struck  her  on  the  temple, 
and  death  had  been  instantaneous. 

The  excitement  in  the  county  when  the  news  spread  of  what 
had  taken  place  at  Byrneside  was  great  indeed,  and  the  revela- 
tions made  before  the  coroner's  jury  greatly  added  to  it.  They 
returned  a  verdict  that  "  Lola  Symonds  had  been  wilfully  mur- 
dered by  John  Symonds,  and  that  the  latter  had  come  by 
his  death  at  the  hands  of  Frank  Hunter,  who  had  justifiably 
shot  at  and  killed  him  while  opposing  by  armed  means  the 
officers  of  the  law,  and  that  no  blame  attaches  to  the  said  Frank 
Hunter." 

When  all  was  over,  Hugh  was  warmly  congratulated  by  the 
gentlemen  who  had  come  in  to  be  present  at  the  inquest,  upon 
his  recovery  of  the  whole  of  his  father's  estate,  and  upon  his 
escape  from  the  danger  he  had  certainly  run  at  the  hands  of 
the  murderer  of  his  uncle.  He  was  much  affected  by  the  death 
of  the  woman  he  still  thought  of  as  his  aunt,  and  the  document 
that  she  deposited  at  the  lawyers'  in  London  showed  how  com- 


382  THE    DOCTOR   AND   SIM. 

pletely  she  had  acted  under  fear  of  her  husband,  and  that  she 
had  knowingly  risked  her  life  to  save  his. 

The  doctor  and  Sim  Hewlett  remained  for  a  fortnight  with 
him  at  Byrneside.  He  had  urged  upon  them  to  make  it  their 
home  for  a  while  and  to  settle  near  him;  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  the  doctor  said  to  him  one  evening:  "Sim  and  I  have 
talked  matters  over,  Hugh,  and  we  have  made  up  our  minds, 
I  have  heard  from  him  that  we  are  each  the  owners  of  25,000 
dollars.  I  should  not  have  taken  it  had  I  known  it  at  the 
time,  but  I  should  not  like  to  hurt  the  don's  feelings  by  send- 
ing it  back  now,  and  perhaps  it  will  do  more  good  in  my  hands 
than  in  his.  So  Sim  and  I  are  going  back  to  California.  We 
shall  buy  a  place  near  the  spot  where  I  lived  many  years  ago 
— Sim  tells  me  he  has  told  you  the  story — and  there  we  shall 
finish  our  days.  When  we  die  the  money  will  go  to  charities. 
That  is  our  plan,  lad.  We  shall  find  plenty  to  help,  and  what 
with  that  and  a  little  gardening  our  time  will  be  well  occupied, 
and  Sim  and  I  will  have  plenty  in  the  past  to  look  back  upom 
and  talk  about." 

And  so  a  week  later  they  sailed.  Hugh  went  with  them  to 
Liverpool  and  saw  them  off,  and  then  travelled  for  a  time  on 
the  Continent,  for  Byrneside  was  repugnant  to  him  after  the 
tragedy  that  had  been  enacted  there. 

On  his  return  he  went  down  to  Norfolk  and  stayed  for  some 
time  with  Luscombe,  and  the  visit  was  so  pleasant  that  it  was 
repeated  whenever  he  happened  to  be  in  England. 

Three  years  later  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  again.  He  tra- 
versed the  States  more  easily  now,  for  the  railway  across  was 
almost  completed.  After  spending  a  month  in  California  with 
the  doctor  and  Sim  Hewlett,  whom  he  found  well  and  happy, 
he  visited  Don  Ramon  at  El  Paso.  There  had  been  changes 
here,  for  both  Don  Carlos  and  his  two  sisters  were  married, 
and  all  insisted  upon  his  being  their  guest  for  a  time. 

His  first  visit  after  his  return  to  England  was  again  to  Nor- 


"JUST  AS   WELL  TO  WAIT."  383 

folk.  It  was  a  short  but  important  one,  and  on  its  termination 
he  went  back  to  Byrneside  to  give  orders  for  many  changes 
and  alterations  that  were  to  be  made  with  all  speed  in  view  of 
the  coming  of  a  new  mistress.  It  had  for  some  time  past  been 
apparent  to  Luscombe  that  the  remark  he  had  laughingly  made 
years  before  on  the  banks  of  the  Canadian  was  likely  to  bear 
fruit,  and  that  his  sister  Phillis  constituted  no  small  portion  of 
the  attraction  that  brought  Hugh  down  to  Norfolk.  Indeed, 
before  leaving  for  the  States  Hugh  had  chatted  the  matter 
over  with  him. 

"  Of  course,  you  have  seen,  Luscombe,  how  it  has  been.  I 
shall  be  three-and-twenty  by  the  time  I  get  back,  which  is  quite 
young  enough  for  a  man  to  talk  about  marriage.  As  soon  as  I 
do  I  shall  ask  Phillis." 

"  Just  as  well  to  wait,  Hugh.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  and 
Phillis  pretty  well  understand  each  other;  but  I  don't  see  any 
use  in  engagements  till  one  can  fix  a  date  for  the  marriage,  and 
as  you  have  made  up  your  mind  to  go  on  this  trip,  it  will  save 
you  both  a  lot  of  trouble  in  the  way  of  writing  to  leave  it  alone 
until  you  come  back.  It  is  a  horrid  nuisance  to  keep  on  writing 
letters  when  you  are  travelling.  Besides,  you  know,  the  gover- 
nor has  strong  ideas  against  early  marriages,  and  will  think 
you  quite  young  enough  then,  and  so  I  should  say  leave  it  as 
it  stands." 

And  so  Hugh  had  left  it;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  he  had 
left  Phillis  quite  in  ignorance  of  what  would  be  said  on  his 
return.  At  any  rate  no  time  was  required  by  her  before  giving 
an  answer  to  the  question  when  it  was  put,  and  two  months 
later  the  marriage  took  place.  Many  as  were  the  presents  that 
the  bride  received,  they  were  thrown  completely  into  the  shade 
by  that  which  arrived  as  a  joint  gift  from  Don  Ramon  and  his 
family  a  few  days  before  the  wedding,  being  sent  by  their  order 
from  Tiffany's,  the  great  jeweller  of  New  York.  It  consisted 
of  a  case  of  jewellery  of  extraordinary  value  and  magnificence 


384  HOME. 

and  was,  as  Mr.  Luscombe,  senior,  remarked,  suitable  rather 
for  a  princess  of  royal  blood  than  for  the  wife  of  a  Cumberland 
squire. 

The  return  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tunstall  after  the  termination  of 
their  honeymoon  to  Byrneside  was  hailed  with  great  rejoicing 
by  the  tenantry,  who  were  happy  to  know  that  the  old  state  of 
things  had  at  last  returned,  and  that  a  resident  landlord  with 
an  English  wife  would  in  future  be  established  in  the  family 
mansion. 


THE  8NIX, 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


(III     i    r>   4AAA 

??.  1961  ) 

JUL  i  o  lygo 

V-  ~M- 

RETURNED  TO 

' 

APR  31  19; 

Q 

IOAN  DEPAffTMM 

^ 

197139 

fiaro 

m  APR  5 

71  «ft  AM^^K 

NOV15 

,   3  9    -" 

DSC'D  C«C  DIPT 

ocr  i  a  '74    i    } 

Rft    IR.JUL1   8     3 

1    f 

- 

LD  21A-50m-12,'60 
(B6221slO)476B 


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